Clemson Coaches Seeing Different Jaelyn Lay in Fall Camp
When Jealyn Lay came to Clemson in 2019, expectations were high. Heading into his third season with the Tigers, he is still trying to meet those lofty expectations.
Lay was one of the top tight-end prospects in the 2019 recruiting class and a Top-200 talent overall. At 6-foot-6 and 261-pounds and extremely athletic for a player his size, fans envisioned Lay as a guy that could be physical in the running game, while also posing a multitude of matchup problems for opposing defenses in the passing game.
However, tight end is a difficult position to learn in the Tigers' offense. On top of that Lay came to Clemson fairly raw when it comes to the blocking aspects that go along with playing the position.
It was always going to take time for Lay to develop, and those expectations fans had for him as a freshman proved to be unrealistic. Now in his third fall camp, new tight ends coach and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has noticed the light starting to come on for one of the tallest tight ends in Clemson's history.
"I've seen some flashes right, I know it's in there, and I'm gonna get it out of him," Elliott said after Saturday's scrimmage.
Over his first two seasons, Lay has gotten some valuable experience, logging more than 100 snaps, but to date has caught just two passes during his career. Elliott said the third-year player out of Georgia looks far more confident in fall camp and that it's now starting to translate onto the field.
"He's willing, and he wants to," Elliott said. "A lot of it is too, you got to be confident in what you're doing. You know, when you know what you're doing you stop thinking, and you can play fast or you can play physical. And that's my job as his coach to get him to that point. To where he's ultimately confident in his ability in the pass game and in the run game."
Lay is one of the stronger players on the team. Over time, he's learned that to be successful at the college level, he can't rely solely on his power. He spent the offseason working to get better with his technique, and even he's starting to see that effort pay off, while at the same time admitting there is still more work to do.
"I spent a lot of time just working on technique," Lay said after Monday's practice. "I think that was my biggest issue, using technique to block. Of course, I'm strong, but it's all about fundamentals. That was the biggest thing I wanted to work on. Going through these practices, I have improved but I can also get better."
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