A common cliche in college football is the idea of building a culture. However, few match the description — literally and metaphorically — of a “culture builder” in the way junior safety and Building Construction major Clayton Powell-Lee does.
“I have a lot of uncles in the building construction field — one of them owns their own construction company. [Another] just started up his own. So, I’ve always been around [construction]. I’ve always been interested in it. I love building things, using my hands and stuff like that,” Powell-Lee said in an exclusive interview with the Technique on Oct. 21.
That interest is what led the Atlanta native to the School of Building Construction at Tech. Coming out of Westlake High School, the opportunity to study construction at Tech and play football for the Jackets was something Powell-Lee could not easily pass up.
“Obviously, with education, there’s really not a better education you could get. You’re also playing DI football in a good conference, and you’re going to get those opportunities to play against quality opponents. I get the best of both worlds, and then I’m close to home. So, why not just take an opportunity that a lot of people don’t really get the opportunity to have? A lot of other people I know had to go out and stay far away from home. I was just blessed with the opportunity to stay home and play for a good program.” Powell-Lee said.
He also comes from a Tech family that prioritized school and football in equal measure. From 1983-86, Clayton’s father, Gary Lee, starred as a receiver on the Flats. In his four years at Tech, he accrued 67 receptions for 1299 yards and 14 touchdowns, played in a 17-14 upset of the No. 19 Michigan State Spartans during the 1985 All-American Bowl and made the ACC Academic Honor Roll. His impact on Tech is something that his son has heard plenty about.
“Everybody knows him as that guy that made plays. I’m always being told by alumni about how awesome my dad was back in college, how he made all these crazy plays and stuff. It’s pretty cool to know that your dad was kind of like that back in the day.” Powell-Lee admitted, laughing.
While his dad made his name catching passes, Powell-Lee breaks them up. He’s the starting strong safety on Tech’s defense and an integral part of their plan for frustrating opposing quarterbacks. This season, his 29 tackles rank fifth among the team’s defensive backs and his three pass deflections are tied for third overall on the defense. Still, the box score does not tell the full story of everything Powell-Lee does on the field.
“As a safety, you’re the last line of defense, and behind you is a touchdown. I try to make sure that everybody from the safeties and the nickel to the corners and linebackers are all on the same page with the same call. So, when the bullets are flying, you’re just playing. You’re not worried about, ‘Oh, this guy just did this. This guy just did that. Like, what’s going on?’. “My biggest thing is trying to make sure communication is the top priority. Once the communication is there, you’re not really surprised when things happen because you talked about it pre-snap. You’re not surprised when this guy motions, or when the running back does this, or the quarterback does this check. ” Powell-Lee explained.
Communication is especially important between Powell-Lee and his fellow safety, LaMiles Brooks. Brooks mans the free safety spot for Tech and the two defensive backs have come a long way during their time in the program. “When I first got here, LaMiles wasn’t a safety. He played nickel at first and then cornerback. But when I got here, we [were] kind of learning safety together. So, I was always able to go up and talk to him about little things like that….LA [LaMiles Brooks], he was a growing partner with me. We learned a lot together, and when it came to film, he’d point out some things to me about the tendencies of a receiver or running back or quarterback. And I’d point out something to him, so it was like we were both sponges. We’re both giving each other [stuff] so that we are able to make plays on Saturdays.” Powell-Lee said.
While his job is to limit mistakes from other members of the defensive coverage, the responsibilities of a defensive back mean that mistakes are inevitable. The difficult part is moving on from the mistakes. “It’s inevitable to give up a catch. Like, you’re going to give up a catch, you’re going to miss a tackle. That one catch — so be it. But now you got to go. You got to go up against me again and again and again — who’s going to win? Like, okay, you got one catch. If you don’t catch the ball the rest of the game, that one play didn’t mean anything. As a defensive back, you gotta have that swag like, ‘I’m that guy. I don’t care if he catches three balls on me. I don’t care if I miss three tackles. I’m still that guy’. Because if you stop, people are going to be wondering what’s going on. So, I just gotta keep it going, no matter what.” he explained.
To play his best on Saturdays, he adheres to a strict routine during the week and on game days. “That Saturday, you just got into a full on battle. You want to make sure that you treat those nicks and nacks early on before they turn into bigger problems later. I try to get that early. After our meetings, weights and everything else, we’re pretty much done for the day. I like to come home and chill, kind of just decompress, because after a long week of football, football, studying, studying, school, I just need to catch my breath for a second. Monday is a full off-day to focus on academics. … On Tuesdays, it’s early practice, and we [have] got to be in around 7:15 am, but I get there earlier so I don’t have to rush or anything. After practice, it’s class, and that’s really like the same routine all the way until that Friday. On Fridays, at least for a home game, we’ll have practice. You’ll get a little downtime to yourself, and you gotta come back. Then, you go to the hotel for our home games. Before away games, you get practice, you get an hour and then we’re straight to TSA for a flight before getting straight to playing the game on Saturday.” Powell-Lee said.
Gamedays are a little different. To get himself ready to go, Powell-Lee has very specific musical tastes. “I’m big on faith, so it’s some gospel music [first]….it’s thanking [God] for giving me the opportunity to wake up and keep pursuing whatever he wants me to pursue. Before the game, that’s where it gets tricky. … Leading up to the game, I don’t try to play hip-hop the entire time. I just put the mind at ease with some R&B, some soul music. Maybe throw some jazz music in there,” he said.
However, about an hour before the game, it’s time to get in a different mode. “That’s when I turn on Chief Keef and start getting the blood flowing. Start getting adrenaline pumping. I’m just locked in for the game. I got all my anger built and I’ve decided to take it out on another player.” Powell-Lee stated. “I’m one of the unique ones when it comes to music on game day because I’m a real mood listener. I don’t like listening to hip hop all day.” he clarified.
On the field, he’s taken a bigger role as a leader for the secondary and tone-setter due to his experience. It is also a form of paying things forward. “The person who took me and LaMiles under his wing was an old teammate named Jaylon King. … He taught me and LaMiles a lot as far as how to treat yourself like a pro, how to be in the film room, how to decipher things like that. So, if I had to really give somebody credit for my success in college, I would definitely start off with Jaylon King, for sure. He was a role model and mentor and everything.” Powell-Lee recalled.
Now, he is trying to be that veteran for his younger teammates. “[Sophomore defensive back] Taye Seymour, he was here my sophomore year, but I just give him as many jewels as possible — how to take care of your body, how to attack workouts. Those little things will help your game on the field.” he said.
Building that camaraderie and culture is essential to Powell-Lee because he’s seen what happens when players aren’t together. “You can kind of see in some games during my freshman year, the team kind of broke apart. Coach Key, he’s really trying to just make sure that no matter what’s going on, we got to stay together. You gotta put it all on the line for your brothers. A team should never say ‘They soft, they didn’t play hard, they didn’t do this, they didn’t do that’. Something Coach Key’s trying to instill in us is to always play hard. We may lose, but that team’s still going to say, ‘Them Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, they a hard team to play against’,” Powell-Lee said.
Being a hard team to play against also falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaches. Fortunately, Powell-Lee feels that a pretty good one is leading the Tech defense. “If I had to describe [defensive coordinator] Coach Santucci, he’s like a mini Coach Key. He’s very intense and always, always amped up. He really loves the game because of what it has done for him and what it has provided him with, and … I can never get him to sit there and think — he always has an answer right then and there.” Powell-Lee said, laughing.
Outside of laying out ball carriers, the safety fills the little free time that he has with a variety of different involvements. He’s a self-described doodler and likes to journal. He is also an active member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, which has helped him meet people outside of football. Over the summer, he interned on a construction project at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. “At [the airport], they’re building a new south parking deck. I was under a lot of people and got to learn a lot about the finances behind [construction] and the budgeting.” he explained.
Powell-Lee has shown a concrete commitment to producing the best version of himself on the football field and beyond in his three years on the Flats. As he’s acutely aware, it’s all about building the right foundation.