‘I wanted to score touchdowns’: Mizzou pledge Gavin McKay has his eyes set on Tigers
Gavin and Orlando McKay strolled onto the football field, ball in hand. Gavin, then in seventh grade, had played linebacker up to that point, dabbling a little at running back. Orlando was ready for another day of drills.
But Gavin had other ideas: He wanted to run some routes. Orlando, a former wide receiver who played in the NFL and CFL, admitted he was surprised by his son’s insistence.
Then the throws started going up.
“He runs a slant and he catches the ball like Jerry Rice — I mean, it was pretty,” Orlando told The Star. “I was just like, ‘OK, let’s do another one.’ Then he runs a go route, he catches it over the shoulder.”
After Gavin started flashing his potential, Orlando asked his son if he wanted to be a receiver. Gavin answered quickly: “That’s what I was trying to show you.”
“I was really fascinated with the receiver position, probably from my dad, watching his old highlights,” Gavin said. “I wanted to score touchdowns.”
In the years since, Gavin has said goodbye to wide receiver. During his sophomore year, he grew to his current 6-foot-4 stature and made the transition to tight end.
That’s how he will make the jump to college ball, Gavin said, and he’s ready for a similar role at Mizzou. As the second committed pledge of MU’s 2021 recruiting class, he said the Tigers always had the inside track on his recruitment, which is why he’s itching to get on campus.
“The deal with Mizzou, this whole recruiting process, they’ve been the school that’s shown me the most love and was with me throughout this whole process,” Gavin said. “From that point, to the new staff coming in and my offer getting renewed, they’ve just always been my No. 1.”
There was some uncertainty when former MU coach Barry Odom was fired, Orlando said. He warned his son that Mizzou’s offer was likely off the table, so he should look elsewhere. But once Casey Woods was announced as Mizzou’s tight ends coach, Orlando relayed the good news to Gavin: Mizzou was back on the board.
Gavin said it was his relationship with Woods that stuck out to him. In a fortunate twist, Gavin and Woods went through individual workouts when Woods was still at Alabama-Birmingham. It’s why their bond was so strong, Gavin said.
“It was crazy. I was just like, ‘What’s up, coach? I like the new threads,’” McKay said with a laugh. “(Woods) was like, ‘Let’s get to work.’”
Gavin describes himself as a receiving tight end. The Mizzou coaches told him that’s good because that’s how he projects in the SEC. He’ll likely line up as a slot receiver, playing with his hand on the ground for only a handful of snaps.
Gavin takes the most pride in an aspect of his game that traces back to those times with his dad — his route-running. He said they often watch film of Rice, even his practice footage. That’s what Orlando did when he was a player, and Gavin followed in his footsteps.
Orlando has also been Gavin’s positional coach at Memphis (Tenn.) University School, which is where he taught Gavin everything he knows.
“For me watching him, it’s been wild because I see myself sometimes,” Orlando said. “I was kind of that kid. He’s kind of gravitated toward that and I think it’s helped him quite a bit.”
Orlando was a successful receiver in his own right, suiting up for the Washington Huskies when they won a national championship in 1991. He also played under former Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel when Pinkel was the offensive coordinator at Washington. Orlando went on to play in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Memphis Mad Dogs during the league’s foray into the U.S.
While both father and son catch the ball, they play different styles. Orlando was a 5-foot-10 speedy receiver who outran the opposition. He said a big reason why he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1992 was his 4.29-second 40-year dash time at his pro day.
Orlando said he hoped one of his three sons inherited his speed, but instead they got their mother’s height. While Orlando said he pokes fun at Gavin for not being as fast as him, he said Gavin boasts other gifts — going up for the 50/50 ball, route-running, pass patterns — that he himself didn’t have in his youth.
“It’s honestly really fun seeing your dad as a coach,” Gavin said. “He was a faster guy. He teases me about my speed. I still got a little bit, I can run away from some folks. He really knows when to be my coach and flip the switch and be dad. I’m really grateful for that.”
Gavin said he visited Columbia three times before the COVID-19 pandemic. He was on campus for Night at the Zou last summer, the 2019 Tennessee vs. Mizzou game and Junior Day with the new staff.
Besides his strong relationship with the MU coaches, Gavin said he loved the city’s downtown area and facilities.
Now, all that’s left is to get to work on campus, he said.
“I have zero reservations about handing my son to (Drinkwitz and Woods) to train for the next several years,” Orlando said. “There couldn’t be two better guys. They’re all awesome. But I know those two especially well.”