2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Clay Shreve, LB, Ashland University
- Name: Clay Shreve
- Height: 6 foot and 5 8ths
- Weight: 235 lbs
- Position: ILB
- College: Ashland University
- Twitter: @ClayShreve
- Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?
- I grew up in Hartville Ohio which is a smaller town in Northeast Ohio in the Akron/Canton area. Hartville is a quite town that loves its high school sports especially football. The thing I love most about Hartville is that it is a quite town, there is very little crime or problems in Hartville. I feel safe there and enjoy the quite presence of home.
- List these three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning and Practice?
- Practice- All three of these components are very important to the game of football but practice is the most important because it is actual football. During practice you are playing the game of football and you are able to put into action all that you have learned in film study and strength and conditioning. During practice you are physically and mentally preparing for a football game in way that you are unable to do in any other environment.
- Film Study- Film study I would rank second in importance because it is where you learn about yourself and your opponents. You can learn about your tendencies and find things that you need to work on, but more importantly you get a chance to see what they other team runs, how they block, what their personal is like, etc. I love film study because it is the part of the game where you get to work on the mental side of the game which is my favorite. Understanding the game of football and your opponents can make you a great football player even if you are not the most physically gifted player.
- Strength and Conditioning- I ranked strength and conditioning last because it is the least directly connected to football. It is important to be strong and in shape to play the game of football, but I know many people who are very strong or who are in great shape that are not good at the game of football. In order to be successful there is more needed than just strength and conditioning.
- What do you worry about, and why?
- I try not to worry about much because I know that I serve a sovereign and all powerful God who loves me and has the best intentions for me and my life. I lean on Matthew 6:25-27 when I begin to worry. “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? With that being said however I do worry because I am human and not perfect. I worry about not being good enough or not accomplishing the goals I have set for my life. As far as football I worry about not living up to expectations or letting my team down.
- Give me an example of when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?
- I fail every day, we all do. We all fall short of the Glory of God. When I fail, I just focus on trying to get better no matter what it is. I try and understand what I did wrong, why I did it that way and how can I prevent doing it again.
- What do your teammates say is your best quality?
- I think that my teammates would say my best quality is my passion for the game. I truly love the game of football and take pride in playing for the Ashland Eagles.
- Who is the best player you have ever played against in college?
- Jayru Campbell
- What would your career be if you couldn’t play football?
- Middle school teacher and football coach. I am currently majoring in middle childhood education (grades 4-9) with concentrations in mathematics and social studies.
- Room, desk, and car – which do you clean first?
- Desk. My desk is my work area, and I do not like to work in clutter.
- If there was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, which would you choose and why?
- 3 strangers. 3 lives are more valuable than one and know that everyone in my family would do the same. Also my family and I would willingly give up our lives for 3 strangers.
- If you could be any television or movie character, who would you be and why?
- Thor, I love the Marvel movies and I think Thor is a beast. He is very powerful, and I like that he has a whole separate world in Asguard.
- Tell me about your biggest adversity in life and how you’ve dealt with or overcome it?
- The biggest adversity in my life would probably be my parents divorce. It happened when I was in the 8thgrade. I never really dealt with it the greatest because I just pushed it down and suppressed it, so I still am coping with it some to this day. One of the ways I suppressed it was to just focus on football and school, I wanted to make my parents proud by just being the best football player I could be.
- What is your most embarrassing moment?
- In the 5thgrade I was depantsed (pants were pulled down) at lunch in front of the entire grade.
- What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?
- I recovered a fumble in the endzone last year at Davenport to put us up 14-0 and give us the separation we needed to pull away with the game.
- What song best describes your work ethic?
- Can’t be touched by Roy James Jr.
- What is the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed at the next level?
- My work ethic and love for the game.
- If you could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be and why?
- The Apostle Paul.
- If you were to open a dance club, what would you name it?
- I don’t think I would ever do that, but I guess if I had to I would open one in Ashland and make it like a sports themed one and call in “Eagles night club” or something.
- Who is the most underrated player in the NFL?
- Have to stick with my former teammate Adam Shaheen.
- Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?
- Respected, you can’t please everyone.
- What player who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the most and why?
- I can’t think of anyone.
- Do you love to win, or hate to lose?
- I would say that I love to win. I by no means like to lose, but I do think you can learn valuable lessons through losses.
- Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?
- Jesus Christ has been the biggest influence on my life, because of him I am made new and can live a life that has been redeemed through his grace. Another person is Joe Maggelete, our university chaplain who has been a tremendous mentor to me and has pushed me closer to Christ.
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com