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A former blue-chip recruit, Clayton just barely missed out on a five-star ranking in the 2016 247Sports Composite, finishing his high school career at Dooly County (Ga.) as the No. 2 weak-side defensive end and No. 27 overall prospect in the nation. From there, he headed to Florida, where he played in five games as a true freshman. His best season in Gainesville came as a sophomore, when he played in nine games, making seven tackles and one tackle for loss. And he redshirted in 2018 after playing in just three games.

That means that — because Clayton is sitting out this year with the waiver denial — he’s losing a year of eligibility in 2019, and he would be able to play as a redshirt senior in 2020, effectively having just one season to play in Atlanta.

When Clayton elected to transfer, he visited Georgia Tech with his mind already made up to play for Collins, who recruited him to Florida.

“I just wanted to hear, like, when can I come aboard?” Clayton told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “That’s all I wanted to hear. That was the main purpose of this visit. It was like, I want to come, but am I welcome? And then (Collins) said, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘All right, I’m coming.’”

Clayton told the AJC he was planning to stay at Florida until his mother, Caronica, developed a medical issue, with Clayton stating that “I need to be close to my mom.” Dooly County is about two hours away from Atlanta.

The NCAA has taken recent criticism for its waiver process, particularly the organization's rigidity when it comes to players transferring closer to home to help with sick family members