Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 30, 2019 15 — a school about three hours north of Seattle that isn't exactly known as a hotbed of elite football talent. Because of his standout size, length and athleticism, Claypool enjoyed many interests and options. He could have played Division I college basket- ball, he was a gifted BMX bike rider — until he outgrew his bike — and as a baseball prodigy, Claypool brags that an exception was made to let him play little league as a 4-year-old. "But I really didn't have a passion for that sport," Claypool said of his first athletic endeavor, which was spent mainly building sandcastles on the infield. After dominating his elementary school classmates during recess as an 8-year-old, Claypool became hooked on football and asked his mother to join an organized league. "I've been playing ever since," said Claypool, adding that in one youth game he scored 10 touchdowns. Still mainly a hobby, football be- came a serious endeavor for Clay- pool as a high school junior when it was suggested he might have a bright future in the sport. "After that, I started getting looks from colleges," he said. "Before then, I wasn't even thinking about going to the next level because I didn't think it was a possibility." Social media saturation helped get the word out and bring the attention in for Claypool. Scholarship offers from Nevada, San Diego State, Utah, Rice and Or- egon followed, which is when Notre Dame entered the mix and eventually won the services of a three-star high recruit turned legitimate first-round 2020 NFL Draft pick. "Once I got my first offer," Claypool said, "I was kind of on the radar." Claypool called it a "no brainer" committing to Notre Dame. But home remains where the heart is. "Anything I can do here [at Notre Dame] that might help the kids from Canada that are trying to make it, I'd love to help," he said. "I think there are a lot of players that could've went Division I and didn't get the opportunity." ✦ Claypool compiled 768 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in Notre Dame's first 10 games, bringing his preseason statistical goals of 1,000 yards and 10 scoring grabs well within reach. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN