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Clayton hopes the long wait is finally over to debut at GT

Former five-star defensive end Antonneous Clayton made the decision to move closer to home and play for Georgia Tech leaving Florida not too long after Geoff Collins was hired as the Jackets head coach. Clayton then waited and waited for the NCAA to rule on his waiver to play in 2019. That waiver got denied, but the talented defensive end focused on getting better during an unexpected redshirt year.

This spring with playing time on the horizon and hopes of playing in the NFL the end goal, Clayton fell victim to another stoppage, this one coming from the Coronavirus outbreak. He got seven practices this spring and came to Tech's Fall Camp hungry.

Once again, Clayton finds himself in a strange spot as two P5 conferences pulled the plug on the 2020 season, but the ACC and Georgia Tech are still planning to play and he is trying to focus on getting ready for that season and his final opportunity to live up to his full potential on the field.

Clayton talking with the media on Tuesday via Zoom
Clayton talking with the media on Tuesday via Zoom (Kelly Quinlan/JOL)
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"I will say it's been very difficult, we're here, we're there, you know one month we know we're planned and next month they're postponing the season or all this stuff, but overall I know we're doing we're supposed to do," Clayton said. "I think me personally, I feel like I'm still the same way I hadn't really let it get the best of me. I know that the coaches are doing the best they can and what they're supposed to do. And for me, I'm just listening to them and we're following protocol so I'm not really affected by it."

Clayton feels like when the Jackets take the field the defensive line position and the end position he plays will look much better than the young and inexperienced group in 2019 that struggled to get a pass rush.

"The development of every single player along the defensive line, the tackles, the defensive ends and the rest of the field everybody has gotten playing time on their belts," he said. "I feel everybody's coming along pretty well in the run game and in the passing game. Defensive wise we have really come a long way in my eyes, and also I feel like everybody's gotten better, including myself. I came in here and it really humbled me. I'm not gonna say it sit here and say that I thought I had everything figured out, but coach (Marco) Coleman and also coach (Larry) Knight, they also found some flaws in my game that they own that stood out to them that they touched upon when talking to me, which has helped me develop into a better football player overall."

Clayton plays the five-technique end spot and his position coach Marco Coleman says the senior is definitely motivated in camp.

"He is definitely hungry, but he's also put in a lot of good work and he's excited about the opportunity and we're hoping for an opportunity to be able to get out there and play," Coleman said.

Coleman said one thing he noticed right away after working with Clayton was his stance and he said they've spent a year working on improving basic fundamentals like that so he can play at a higher level now.

"You know (Clayton) had a real narrow stance, and he's gotten a lot better with his base as far as that," Coleman said. "Some other intricate little habits he has like kind of taking a knee on the field you know it's not something I'm a big fan of. He got that knocked out of there he's really focused on. He has focused and corrected pretty much all those flaws and is getting better, technically, all those fundamentals right now. I'm very excited about the way that Antonneous has been working, his focus, his desire, and he is going to be a huge asset, once we get things going for this football season."

Defensive ends and outside linebackers only accounted for 4.5 sacks last season for the Jackets. The inside linebackers had 6.5 sacks in comparison so there is a lot of room for improvement this season starting with a major asset like Clayton at defensive end who has a chance to live up to the high school hype that made him a five-star player out of a Dooly County.

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