Gazette-Times reporter

Trent Bray knew sooner or later he'd try his hand at coaching football.

Bray, who started at linebacker for Oregon State and was a team captain for his senior season in 2005, spent the last few years trying to break into the National Football League.

He went through training camps with the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans and spent a season in NFL Europe. He was out of football last year and decided to start his coaching career.

"I've known for a while that when I was done playing that coaching was field I was going to look into," Bray said.

His first stop was Arizona State. Bray landed a graduate assistant spot with Dennis Erickson's staff in Tempe.

That means working with some very familiar faces, including his father, Craig, who coached at OSU from 2000-'02 and has been coaching college football since 1975.

Needless to say, Bray grew up around the sport.

"It's just been a part of my life for my whole life," he said. "I love football and it's something I feel I'm good at. I like working with players and sharing my knowledge."

Bray works with the ASU linebackers and helps run the scout team offense during practices.

He said his time at OSU and in the NFL has helped in relating to ASU's players. His time with the Dolphins and Texans, although short, gave him extra knowledge he has been able to use.

"It was a good experience, it was very valuable," Bray said. "I learned some different schemes and terminology, stuff like that.

"But it's a job and it feels more like a job than a game. It made me a better coach and just a smarter person."

He had little interaction with then-Miami coach Nick Saban: "If he was talking to you, it wasn't a good thing."

Bray did spend time with middle linebacker Zach Thomas, now with the Dallas Cowboys. Bray watched how Thomas, a perennial pro bowl player, conducted himself.

"He was just professional," Bray said. "He was great at taking notes and understanding where he had to be on certain plays."

Those experiences gives Bray a level of credibility with the ASU players he probably would not have otherwise. He said they listen to him and are eager to learn.

"The young guys especially, they really have been interested," he said. "They're always asking questions on how to play certain (situations) and what would I have done, things like that."

Bray said his ability to relate to the plays has been his best attribute as a coach so far.

"I think I bring that to the table," he said. "I know how to say it so that they can understand it the best. I feel I'm pretty good at that."

He is learning how to prepare for an opponent.

"There's a lot of hours spent as a coach deciding what you want to run," Bray said. "It's a definite skill knowing what you want to prepare for and what you want to run. I've learned a lot for the coaches here."

Saturday night, Bray will be in Corvallis to take on OSU. For the first time, Bray will be looking across the field at the Beavers.

It hasn't sunk in just yet.

"Right now it's just a game. Maybe Friday or Saturday that will change," Bray said. "I think it'll be weird just being in that stadium and not being there for Oregon State. That'll be different and it will be weird, but that's part of the job."