Lake Wales (Fla.) class of 2021 athlete Walter Clayton saw his recruitment blow up this spring, landing offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Tennessee, Nebraska, and West Virginia.
It’s not every day that Notre Dame offers a prospect in Lake Wales, a small town in Central Florida. According to the Rivals.com database, Notre Dame has offered just three prospects from Lake Wales in the past 17 years. And that number includes Clayton.
The Notre Dame offer wasn’t a shock to Clayton and his high school head coach, Tavaris Johnson, but the offer did carry some weight to it.
“That wasn’t a surprise, but it was definitely a ‘wow moment’ for us,” Johnson said. “We were hearing from Notre Dame and knew they were evaluating him, but to make a decision on him as a sophomore, they’ve obviously done their homework. He will inquire and seek after that opportunity.”
Clayton is the prime example of what you expect of a prospect that Notre Dame offers a scholarship to – a high character, high academic young man who also excels on the football field.
“His education is the first priority,” Johnson told Blue & Gold Illustrated. “His talents and gifts have given him the opportunity at high academic schools. He knows what is long term for him and how important the academic piece is for him. We’re excited about that, because you don’t typically get the elite athlete who understands the importance of academics.”
“He has academic rigor; he has academic integrity. He asks questions and I think that’s what makes Walter Clayton who he is. Some of the intangibles he carries – he’s confident, he’s a character kid. Inside the classroom, he’s a leader. He’s not one to follow, and he knows what he wants. For a kid his age to know what he wants out of life, I think that’s huge. I think that’s what sells him the most.”
Clayton played some receiver last year but mainly stood out as a defensive back. He recorded 51 tackles, six pass deflections, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one blocked field.
“As far as athletic ability, he’s one that pops,” Johnson explained. “You see that right away within two plays. It doesn’t take a ten-play drive to [notice] Walter Clayton. You see it immediately, even in warmups he catches your eye. With his length, size, agility, and the way he moves, he is electric. He’s not a blazer, but he’s quick and a fast twitch kid. His athleticism is just hard to measure; it really is.
“His ball hawking skills are really good and play sideline to sideline. He can turn something small into something big really quick – punt/kick return, big interception. His vertical is amazing; his flexibility is amazing.
“Again he’s the total package – in the making. As long as he stays true to who he is, the future is very bright for him.”
Johnson isn’t 100% sure what his rising junior standout will play in college. He could play receiver or in the secondary. For Lake Wales, he plays both spots and could also see some action as a Wildcat quarterback.
“Walter Clayton for us is a utility guy; he’s an athlete,” Johnson said. “He doesn’t have a position by his name, and that is intentional, because he can play so many different positions. He’s very versatile and very fluid at whatever position we put him at.
“It’s hard to place a position for him right now because he’s still learning and growing, but he loves safety, and that’s what we see as a future projection. If not, he can definitely contribute on the offensive side of the ball as well. It’s still early to make that projection.”
Lake Wales had a 10-2 season last year falling in the second round of the Class 6A state tournament. As the Highlanders look to improve upon 2018 strong season, Clayton will be a focal point of the team.
“We are building around him,” Johnson said. “He’s attractive and brings out the best of other kids on campus. He’s made a huge impact for us.”
Clayton is also a solid basketball player. He has an offer from the University of South Florida at point guard and is a high IQ, unselfish hooper.
“He’s balancing a lot with basketball and football. It’s year around for him,” Johnson added.
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