FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — For teammates of Adrian Clayborn, there was never a doubt the junior defensive end would return for his senior season in 2010. There was never a doubt in his mind either.
Clayborn made his announcement public last week in Iowa City before the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes arrived in Miami for the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl against No. 9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. For him, it was a major relief.
“I was thinking about it every day, having agents and other people pretty much calling me every day,” he said. “It took a drain on me definitely during finals week and going through school, practice.
“It was real stressful, and I just wanted to get it over with.”
The decision to stay not only brought satisfaction to Clayborn, but for others on the defensive side of the ball as well.
“I’ve been telling him to come back for a long time,” sophomore safety Tyler Sash said. “He’s a big part of our team, one of our leaders emotionally and physically on the field. It was huge just to find out he was coming back.”
With the losses of defensive linemen Mitch King and Matt Kroul to graduation from last season, it was no secret Clayborn would have to provide leadership along the defensive line for the Hawkeyes.
The numbers for the regular season suggest Clayborn did just that. In 2009, the St. Louis native tallied 61 tackles, 27 of which were solo. He also had 18 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles.
During his first two seasons as a Hawkeye, Clayborn had a combined 70 tackles (18 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two forced fumbles.
“You definitely see him making more plays,” sophomore defensive end Broderick Binns said. “Adrian just leaves it out there on the live, every play, every game. It’s just great to watch him because he does some spectacular things out there.
“Sometimes, I’m just in awe, like, ‘Did he really make that play?’ “
He also had a knack for stepping up when it mattered.
In two of the Hawkeyes’ biggest games, he blocked a punt against Penn State, returned it for what would eventually be a game-winning 53-yard touchdown run, and came away with eight solo tackles in an overtime loss to Ohio State.
“Just throughout the game, he never seems to come through any adversity. If the game’s gone bad, he’s always there,” junior defensive tackle Christian Ballard said. “He’s a guy that we look to and a guy we try to rally around. He’s never flustered really, and I think that’s his best quality.”
As far as why Clayborn elected to come back, a lot of it simply had to do with gaining more experience at the collegiate level.
It also helps being along a defensive line that he said got better as the 2009 season progressed.
“My sophomore year, it wasn’t that great, it was all right,” Clayborn said. “This year was pretty good, but getting another year under my belt, then going to the NFL would be more beneficial.”
— Brendan Stiles