Tech land a legacy in Powell-Lee from Westlake
Growing up a fan of Georgia Tech and the son of a former star player, Clayton Powell-Lee knew where his heart wants him to be and a few weeks after landing an offer from the Yellow Jackets, he committed to the Institute.
For his father Gary Lee, just getting the Tech offer was an emotional moment.
"My dad said he knew it was coming, but he was so very happy and this was something we both dreamed about since I was little and now that dream is coming true," Powell-Lee said.
The process did not go quite as quickly as Powell-Lee might have expected because his mom wanted to talk through everything regarding Georgia Tech. The family set up a call with the Tech staff knowing a commitment could be on the horizon.
"We didn't want to go into a commitment blind, so we wanted to know what we were getting into. My mom wanted to talk about other things than just playing football like how the program, what impact would Georgia Tech have on my life beyond football like the education, the housing, the annual stipends for athletes and the stuff off the full ride (scholarship) so there was a lot we went into," he said. "We liked what we heard and that is when there was a real chance to stay home and basically play in my backyard so that is when we decided to commit."
The Jackets are in need of a few defensive backs in the 2022 class and Powell-Lee joins Jaron Willis as one of the two safety commits in the class thus far. Safeties coach Nate Burton said he wants the first crack at Powell-Lee on the field, but the staff sees him as a versatile piece to the class.
"Coach Burton told me that selfishly he wants me to play safety, but with my versatility and long athleticism he can see me playing both safety and corner so that is exciting," Powell-Lee said. "I like being flexible because it allows me to be on the field more. Honestly, I prefer safety though because you get to do different things because you have to be able to cover and you have to be able to tackle and I like that about safety. I like the physical part of the game and tackling, but I just want to be on the field and useful in the college game."
With Tech opening up some pipelines into Westlake, Powell-Lee said two of his former teammates Leo Blackburn and Jakiah Leftwich who are on the Jacket roster now hit him up before he could tell him the good news.
"They both called me and they were like we are not going to tell anybody, but I told them I was going to tell them, but I believe one of the coaches told them, and then they called and said, 'welcome to the family.'"
Powell-Lee could also help the Jackets with defensive tackle Horace Lockett who is a close friend of the new safety commit.
"My boy Horace Lockett is going to announce and hopefully he will join the family too," Powell-Lee said. "We've been playing together for years and years. I played against him in a rec league and middle school and then playing together in high school. I'm trying to get him over to Tech."
With his commitment in the rearview mirror, Powell-Lee is ready to focus on Westlake and his senior season.
"It is exciting get this done and be committed to Tech so I can focus on winning state with this team with my teammates," Powell-Lee said.
Powell-Lee also gave a scouting report of himself for those who have not had a chance to see him play yet.
"I'm six-one, six-two with long arms and long range and I can run and I can tackle and be a playmaker. I'm a ball hawk and I can impact the defense in several spots with my versatility like corner or safety or maybe even nickel. I'm very coachable and I critique myself even when no one is watching like it is a closed set. Then I'll watch the film and ask my coaches can we do this in practice so I can get better at it, those little details that go into playing such a hard position like a defensive back," he said.
