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When No. 30 steps in at tailback, a host of eyes scan the roster. James Gray, freshman walk-on running back, is no household name.

But here's the telltale sign: Whenever he gets a carry, there's sure to be a chorus of teammates shouting, "Ichiban! Ichiban!" It means "No. 1" in Japan — in Salt Lake City, it's a killer sushi joint.

"That's the only word they know in Japanese, so they scream it out," Gray said. "I think it's kind of cool, hearing Japanese while playing football."

Not that it's any novelty to Gray, who spent 14 years of his childhood in Japan and last played football in the Japanese East Coast league.

The novelty for the 19-year-old is that he's now playing in Division I — albeit as a bottom-of-the-depth-chart walk-on — which seemed at times like a bit of an outlandish fantasy. The 5-foot-8 back joined the Utes in January, and while he's seen few precious team reps, he's caught on as a diligent, dedicated worker.

"Physically, he's not the NFL type, but he's really a good guy, smart guy," running backs coach Dennis Erickson said. "He hadn't been involved in a lot of the stuff until winter, but he kind of listened and learned. Didn't make a mistake, and ran the ball pretty good."

Haven't heard of Gray before? He's huge in Japan — at least as recognizable any American football player can be.

James Takada, as he's known in Japan, played on three straight championship teams for the Waseda High School Bears, one of the powerhouses of American football there. As a senior featured back, he won title-game MVP and skill-player MVP awards. He also represented Japan in the 2012 U-19 World Championships in Texas.

Utah football has gotten more Japanese media requests than ever before: Gray has been featured in at least two stories by the Japanese Times, and he hears from friends back on the other side of the world who have read local newspaper stories about him — all before he's even suited up for an actual game.

"Everybody in Japan thinks Division I football is just a different league, that it's something that can't be accomplished," Gray said. "Now they tell me, 'I saw you on Facebook, I saw you in the paper.' It's crazy."

Gray was born in New York to an American father and Japanese mother, then bounced overseas when he was 5. He has citizenship in both Japan and the U.S. His accent is faint; he spoke English at home with his father and brother.

They also shared football by watching it on TV and reading about it in magazines. Said Gray: "It was something that wasn't close to us at all."

The notion that he could play college football seemed equally distant when he sent out his senior-year highlight tape to colleges. Utah's Ilaisa Tuiaki, then in charge of the walk-on program, was one of the few interested. Gray's parents bought him a ticket to Utah, he enrolled and he sat out for an academic issue (Japan's GPA system is different than the American system) before he could join the squad in January.

Gray is a long way from earning an MVP award at Utah, and he's still learning the playbook. But Devontae Booker said he's earned respect quickly — and handled his teammates' curiosity well.

"He sits behind me, but we still kind of talk, you know, 'Where are you from? Are you this or that race?' " Booker said. "He's fit in pretty good. So far, since the spring [practice started], he's been working his butt off."

Gray still can't believe he's gotten his equipment and uniform for free. After watching Utes games from the stands in the fall, he's still blown away by the turnout for games. In high school, no one even kept stats. In college, he's rarely seen so many people in one place.

"Just this American culture that puts so much power in football, it's just hard to adapt," he said. "I'm still that little kid back in Japan with the dream of playing American football. I'm still living a dream, really. … I can't wait for the fall."

Twitter: @kylegoon