Some of the best NFL quarterbacks of all time had to just wait their turn.
Steve Young backed up Joe Montana. Aaron Rodgers backed up Brett Favre. Kurt Warner was a backup QB to Trent Green. The list goes on and on.
Former Daniel High School quarterback Grayson Clary was always “the starter” growing up and he had to play the role of the backup QB last year at Rabun Gap.
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound signal caller is now a junior at Rabun Gap and is the projected starter this season.
Yet the 17-year-old Clary has already had scholarship offers in football from: Virginia, Oklahoma State, Central Florida, Wisconsin, Duke, Oregon, Ole Miss, Miami OH, James Madison, Charlotte, UAB, App State, Memphis, Liberty, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Mercer, Samford, Gardner Webb and East Tennessee State.
But it goes way beyond being able to throw a “good ball” to catch an eye from a college scout. It’s more about the intangibles and the extra effort that Clary has put forth that has helped make the difference.
And the type of student athlete and person that he has become.
Grayson serves in KidPoint at 5 Point church and is active in the youth ministry. He was presented with a scholarship at Rabun Gap because of his impact on other students. Recently, he attended two weekend quarterback retreats – one with QB Country called the QB Country Elite Retreat in Mobile, Alabama, where he worked out all weekend with Phillip Rivers and some of the top high school QB’s in America. A few weeks ago, he went to the AIRO retreat presented by Bo Nix where 12 high school QBs came in to train and were challenged in their walk with Christ and they learned leadership principles about the QB position. He was also a top performer at the Elite 11 regional for underclassmen at the Atlanta Regional and a top performer for underclassmen at Rivals Camp in Nashville.
Grayson took some time recently to talk about his football journey.
Q: What have you enjoyed about the whole recruiting process? I have really enjoyed getting to know the coaches through the process. There are a lot of really great coordinators, assistant coaches, and head coaches. I have also enjoyed the time traveling with my family.
CLARY: I’m sure the football facilities (and weight rooms) of these big-time universities are unbelievable. Can you talk about a college visit or two that really impressed you? One of the ones that really surprised me was UVA. They built a really nice football only facility about two years ago to go along with a great indoor and outdoor practice fields. The thought and detail into the building was really impressive. Oregon blew me away when I went out their for the first time two years ago. They are now building an incredible indoor facility that will be the best in the nation that only builds on their impressive facilities.
Q: Beyond the football part of it, I know that you have a very spiritually-led family. Can you also talk about what else you are looking for in a college beyond the football part of it?
CLARY: I want to go somewhere that I will be challenged and pushed and developed in all aspects of my life. I want to be coached hard, but also know that football is not what defines me, instead, my identity is found in Jesus Christ and I am just someone that has been blessed with the talent to throw the football and lead a team. I don’t take that for granted and I am thankful for the opportunities that God has given me so far.
Q: Who is a football player that you really look up to and why?
CLARY: I have always been a Josh Allen fan. He is tough, he plays every play 100%, he wants to win so much and is really a clutch player, but always picks himself right back up when he fails. I have learned a lot in watching him go through so many hard fought losses.
Q: Soon, August will be here and you’ll get to focus on the actual high school football season. What are your thoughts going into the season and any goals that you might have (team or personal)?
CLARY: We have a really interesting school because we don’t practice at all during the summer. So when we report on August 3rd, that will be our first real practice this season. All the teams we face have been working all spring and summer. We are a talented group on both sides of the ball, if we stay healthy we can really do some great things. We play number 1 teams from Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, North Carolina and one of the top teams in Virginia this year. Our schedule is national and we will play some really great football teams and I am looking forward to showing them what Rabun Gap has as well.
It was a huge learning experience and not one that I completely liked, but I did learn from it. The not liking part of it is I want to compete and the senior in front of me had been there for 4 years and he was fantastic too, so it taught me something at the age of 16 called patience. That was tough, but I think I am a lot better for it and wiser now. Moving away from home, my friends, my church was hard, and then to not be playing the entire time was like a redshirt freshman year in college, I just got it earlier. So, from that standpoint I would call last year a huge win because I experienced something I had never experienced before.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?
CLARY: Being at a boarding school with international students all over has been incredibly eye opening and it has allowed me to see the world through a different viewpoint. I am also grateful for the exposure and opportunity that I have been given through playing for Rabun Gap and playing the level of competition that Coach White brings in. I play against 11 power 4 D1 defensive players everyday in practice, so that can only make you better!