Concordia St. Paul's Wray brothers have offensive lines seeing double
Offensive lineman be on alert and be aware. No, you're not blocking the same guy twice.
"If they don't see our jersey number, like somehow they don't see it, they say they're seeing double," Isaiah Wray said. "Yeah, there's two of us. We just keep rotating in and out."
Yes, Elijah and Isaiah Wray are identical twins. Both play football for Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. And it's not just the opposition getting confused. Try their head coach, Shannon Currier.
"Isaiah seems to be more smiley, Elijah maybe a little more serious," Currier said. "But it did take me a full season before I could recognize the differences of them off the field."
Sometimes football brothers play quarterback and center, or linebacker and running back. Not this pair. They're entrenched on the defensive line.
"Just build the competition between us," said Isaiah Wray. "'Who's the better brother' stuff. Play on the same team and see that."
Isaiah Wray is six minutes younger than his brother. Both are almost the same exact size, which is big: 6 feet 6 inches tall and 260 pounds.
"They came here without scholarship money and now they've earned a bunch and they're only going to continue to get more scholarships," said Currier. "But I think they're just really good role models for so many young players."
"It's just always having someone around to push you," said Isaiah Wray. "You could just say that he has a better game than me, I'm gonna come back the next game and have a better game than him. It's just always competition, head-to-head with each other."
The pair are sophomores at CSP. Their rivalry has been going since birth.
"We got pictures of us when we're playing as little kids. Big helmets, big shoulder pads, running around," said Isaiah Wray. "Tackling each other. Not tackling opponents."
On the field, and off it.
"Growing up, when we were younger, we'd always do little things here and there. We'd always get in trouble together basically," said Elijah Wray. "Our relationship was very good when we were young."
How were they getting in trouble?
"Most of the time it was basically fighting each other," said Elijah Wray. "We would get in trouble a lot for that."
"We used to go to school together and always get notes sent home with us, 'fighting each other,'" said Isaiah Wray. "My mom showed me them a couple days ago. I was like, 'Oh.' It's like, 'one kid bit another kid,' the other report would say, 'a kid got bitten by somebody,' they would know who it is."
Now, they're roommates and teammates in college, pursuing their dreams together.
"We both wanted to play for the same team," said Elijah. "We always grew up playing together so going to the next level playing with each other is pretty cool."