Eastern Illinois football head coach Chris Wilkerson has added Alex Gray to the Panthers staff for the upcoming season.  Gray will serve as the cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator.
 
A veteran coach, Gray comes to EIU following one season as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Lake Erie College during the 2025 season.  The defensive unit led the conference in turnovers gained along with forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
 
Gray spent the 2024 season as the defensive coordinator at John Caroll University (Ohio) where he helped the program make the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season with a win in the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.
 
Prior to those two stops in Ohio, Gray was the assistant head coach / defensive coordinator at St. Thomas University in Florida from 2019-2023.  During that time frame he coached multiple All-Conference players including his unit producing the Defensive Lineman of the Year.  The team made its first playoff appearance in school history with the defense posting several national Top 20 rankings including the fifth best overall defense in the NAIA in 2021.
 
Gray earned his bachelor's degree from Walsh University with a master's from St. Thomas University.  He began his coaching career in 2005 at Walsh University as a defensive backs coach.  Stops at Orange High School (Ohio), USA Football, Springfield High School (Ohio), Hiram College, Notre Dame College, Malone University, Wayne State University and Army West Point Prep School followed.