June 5, 2025
Former Leesburg High Football Player Demetrice McCray Commits to Pittsburgh
By Kyle Coppola
Former Leesburg High Football Player Demetrice McCray Commits to Pittsburgh
LEESBURG, Fla. — Demetrice McCray, a former Leesburg High School standout and current star wide receiver at The First Academy, has announced his commitment to play college football at the University of Pittsburgh.
McCray began his high school football journey at Leesburg, where he made an immediate impact during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He totaled 637 receiving yards and seven touchdowns his sophomore year before transferring to The First Academy in Orlando to further his development.
(McCray has been a standout wide receiver for many years in Central Florida. He has committed to Pittsburgh for 2026.)
“I want to thank my Lord, my friends and family,” McCray said in a social media post. “There’s nowhere else I’d think would be HOME like Pittsburgh and with that being said, I am 100% committed.”
The 4-star recruit is entering his senior year at The First Academy, where he continues to shine. His junior season, McCray recorded 894 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He has multiple Division I offers, but ultimately, the Panthers won his heart.
McCray and the Lions will not have the opportunity to play for a state championship with the FHSAA upholding a ban for TFA due to rule violations last year banning TFA from the FHSAA Playoffs for 2024 and 2025.
(McCray gets ready for a game against rival Eustis High. Photo Credit – Leesburg High.)
Still, McCray is expected to be a key contributor for The First Academy this fall and will bring speed, and playmaking ability. Regardless of the post season ban, TFA is still expected to be among the top teams in Central Florida in 2025.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
