Clay Down To Three

by TigerNet Staff - Fri Dec 17 00:02:39 GMT-04:00 2004

Antonio Clay - Linebacker
Height: 6-1 Weight: 210 Hometown: Jefferson, GA (Twiggs Co. HS) Class: 2005

ESPN: NR

Antonio Clay went through a firestorm earlier in the week. Many reports had Clay committed to Miami, but in fact Clay remains uncommitted.

"Miami was pressuring me to commit, well I wouldn't say they were pressuring me, but there is other linebackers they feel they can get. I wasn't ready to do anything, so my final three schools are Clemson, Oklahoma, and Florida State."

Contrary to other reports, Clay has kept Clemson right in the mix since the summer as we have reported all along. Clay was impressed by Coach David Blackwell Wednesday night.

"It went well. He talked about me getting some early playing time at Clemson. He didn't just promise me the position, he said I have to go out there and work for it. I feel pretty comfortable with Clemson right now."

Clay also received a visit from Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops this week.

"I like Oklahoma a lot, too. The visit went well. The distance from home is not a factor for me. I want to get on the field early at Oklahoma just like I do at Clemson and Florida State."

We have stated many times that Clay has a tremendous amount of respect for Clemson All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Leroy Hill. Clay commented on his feelings about Hill's recent accomplishments.

"That really pumped me up. Living not too far from him and being coached by the same high school coach. It was nice to see another Georgia boy win it. That really opened my eyes. Leroy is a great player that came from a very similar background."

Clay will leave Saturday for the North Georgia-South Georgia All Star game.

"I am very excited about playing against some great players. I will be up for the challenge. I am familiar with a lot of my teammates like Tray Blackmon, Dan Foster, and some other guys. I am not really familiar with some of the other guys on North Georgia. It is basically the city of Atlanta versus South Georgia."

We will continue to follow Clay closely over the next few weeks. Clay has already made all of his official visits to Clemson, Maryland, Oklahoma, Miami, and Florida State.