While LSU wide receiver Michael Clayton sat down Monday to endure hundreds of questions from reporters, he began to pat his heart.
Having heart is a term used in sports to describe the drive of a player who tries his or her best on every play and does whatever possible to help the team. According to his teammates and coaches, Clayton is that type of player.
“He makes every play we ask him to make,” said LSU coach Nick Saban. “He’s probably the best all-around player we’ve ever had here.”
The 6-foot-4, 192-pound junior recently was named as one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, the honor given to the nation’s top receiver. Despite a season with less than All-American type numbers, Clayton is still receiving respect for his contribution to LSU from the wide receiver position.
“It’s unfair to judge a receiver just on how many yards they have or how many catches they have,” said LSU quarterback Matt Mauck. “If you look at Mike, look to see how many times he’s made a huge block downfield and busted open a play.”
He may not have the type of numbers Josh Reed posted for the Tigers during his 2001 Biletnikoff Award-winning season (94 catches for 1,740 yards), but Clayton is doing just what he set out to do.
“I’ve just tried to do anything I can to separate myself,” Clayton said. “That’s what it’s all about. Anything I can do to help this team is what I want to do.”
Besides lining up out wide at receiver, Clayton has displayed his talents at numerous positions on the LSU football team.
“You’ve got to kick him out of the huddle to keep him from going on the kickoff [cover] team,” Saban said. “One game he made three tackles inside the 20 [-yard line] on the kickoff cover team and thumped them when he got there. It wasn’t like he went down and drug them down.”
That is one thing that separates him from his peers on the list of Biletnikoff Award semifinalists. Kickoff cover team is usually designated for backup linebackers, fullbacks and defensive backs. It is not usually a place for the star receiver.
“We don’t have a more unselfish guy on our team,” Saban said. “Mike Clayton is as complete a player as we’ve had around here. His leadership, his character, his toughness.”
Clayton also saw time as the Tigers’ holder on extra points and field goals and has even played a little defense at the safety position.
“If the guy played safety, he’d probably be the best safety in the [Southeastern Conference],” Saban said.
Through nine games, Clayton leads LSU and ranks third in the SEC with 45 catches for 705 yards. He has caught at least one pass in each of the 35 games during his LSU career and ranks fourth in the LSU record books in career receptions (149) and receiving yards (2,208).
Clayton said he tries to play to his strength, which he said is playing physical.
“I’m not the fastest guy, so I do the things I can do,” Clayton said. “I try to be physical when running my routes, and I try to be the most physical blocking receiver in the country.”
Clayton said when he watches film of himself, he does not just watch his catches.
“I go back and check my catches and my knockdown blocks,” he said.
LSU cornerback Corey Webster plays against Clayton every day in practice and said it gets physical out there.
“He’s the most physical receiver I’ve ever gone up against,” Webster said. “Most other receivers are not real physical, they just try to run past you or juke you.”
Clayton said he is not a deep threat like Devery Henderson, and he tries to ensure that Henderson gets the most out of his chance with the ball.
“All I have to do is give either of them [Henderson or Skyler Green] a small crease, and they can take it all the way,” Clayton said. “Coming into the season, everybody was talking about me being the main wide receiver on this team. But with those guys, I don’t have to be, and it keeps defenses on their toes. They have to respect everybody.”
Despite his focus on more than just catching passes, Clayton is just two touchdown catches shy of tying the LSU career total of 19 set by Wendell Davis in 1987.
Although Clayton has a knack for catching footballs, Saban said that is where his catching abilities end.
“He’s not a very good fisherman,” Saban said with a chuckle. “He and Marcus Spears come to my pond to fish. Spears can fish. Michael flops around in the boat.”
Besides being fishing buddies, Clayton and Spears are best friends – on the field, off the field and out of the boat.
The two friends went to Houston last weekend for a small vacation of shopping and relaxation. And when the two were in high school, they almost went on a four-year vacation to the state of Florida.
“We both had LSU in the middle [of our favorite schools],” Clayton said of his recruiting experience.
Both players were considered top recruits from Baton Rouge – Clayton (wide receiver) from Christian Life and Spears (tight end) from Southern Lab.
“He was thinking hard about Florida State, and I was thinking hard about Miami,” Spears said. “When we came out of high school, if you were a good receiver, you went to Florida State. If you were a tight end – Jeremy Shockey was at Miami, and you saw the types of things they were doing there – so you go to Miami.”
Clayton said he had heard all his life that LSU football was filled with politics, and people in his community always discouraged him from attending LSU.
“If coach Saban hadn’t come to LSU, I’d probably be at Florida State right now,” Clayton said. “The sincerity he brought to LSU. I respect my dad, and he doesn’t give many people the benefit of the doubt. But my dad was sold on Saban.
“And if you look at it, he has brought success with him. I made one of the best decisions of my life.”
Part of that success was winning the 2001 SEC Championship, something Clayton said he would give anything for the chance to experience again. And according to Saban, Clayton is doing just that – anything he can.