Ashaad Clayton found a second home in Boulder

BOULDER — Ashaad Clayton’s first semester at the University of Colorado wasn’t easy.

“It was just every day waking up like, ‘Man, I miss my family,’ and then I missed the food—New Orleans has great food—the crawfish, Mardi Gras and everything like that,” Clayton told reporters Monday during his first media call since joining the team.

To make matters worse, Clayton didn’t see the field often on game days, despite his status as a top-10 running back in his high school class.

“It was a humbling experience, just the transition from being the top guy to basically starting from square one,” Clayton said. “I kind of got down a little but I just stayed the course.”

Staying the course wasn’t always easy.

One of Clayton’s low points came over Christmas break. He was homesick and decided to opt out of Colorado’s bowl game so he could go home to New Orleans and reset.

“I had to go back on my stomping grounds to just regain myself and remind myself where I came from,” Clayton said. “I just went home, worked with my trainer, talked to my mom, my grams.”

Clayton’s mother and grandmother are important to him. Without a father in his life, Clayton grew up with only the two women in the house.

“It’s just us three,” Clayton said.

But while Clayton was in Louisiana, his grandmother told him that he should continue his efforts in Boulder.

“If Grams says ‘I want you to stay because I think it’s the best place for you,’ then I can’t disrespect Grams,” Clayton said.

A couple of the reasons Clayton’s grandmother wanted him to stay in Boulder are obvious—he has the opportunity to earn a college degree while chasing his dream of playing professional football—but there’s more to it than that.

Clayton called CU his “getaway spot.”

“It isn’t dangerous,” Clayton said, noting the mass shooting that occurred in Boulder last month. “It’s really safe. Compared to where I come from, this is a safe place for me.”

Clayton isn’t the only CU football player from New Orleans. Fellow running back Jarek Broussard was born in New Orleans but his family moved to Dallas after Hurricane Katrina. While Broussard wasn’t in Louisiana long, his short stint there was enough for Clayton and Broussard to form a bond while Clayton was being recruited.

Last season, while Broussard challenged numerous CU rushing records, Clayton spent most of the year on the bench.

“Believe it or not, every time he broke a long run I’m on the sideline happy for him because at the end of the day that’s my brother,” Clayton said.

But Clayton still struggled at points with his limited role in Colorado’s offense. He touched the ball for the first time against Stanford (picking up three yards) but that was his only touch in the first month of the season.

Clayton said he spoke with running backs coach Darian Hagan often about his situation.

“He was always telling me, ‘Your time is coming, your time is coming, don’t get discouraged, your time is coming,'” Clayton said. “And sooner or later, in the Arizona game, my time did come and it was two little touchdowns—I don’t want to say little, but two goal-line touchdowns—but my time came. That boosted my confidence.”

It’s rare to hear a player call his first two collegiate touchdowns “little” but that’s the reality for somebody who carried his high school team to a state championship appearance by running for over 200 yards per game during the playoffs in the highest level of high school football in Louisiana.

But, back to the story.

Clayton’s relationship with Hagan has developed to the point where Clayton calls him “a father figure that I never had growing up in New Orleans.” Like Clayton, Hagan grew up without his father.

“I could call him at 4 o’clock in the morning, ‘Yo coach, I need a ride.’ He’ll come get me,” Clayton said. “Every time he talks, I take in knowledge. He just told us the story not too long ago, two days ago, where he had to sit and then, when his time did come, he got thrown in the game and was messing up and stuff. I just kind of let that sink in. I just take in all the knowledge.”

While Clayton may have hoped for more than 7 carries for 31 yards and two touchdowns in his first season, his number could be called often this fall.

When head coach Karl Dorrell was asked about potential 2021 breakout candidates on Monday, Clayton’s name was the first out of his mouth.

“I would expect he’s going to be a big factor in what we’re doing, even though we’ve had a really good backfield,” Dorrell said. “I think he’s gonna surprise some people.”

And Dorrell isn’t the only one who sees a larger role on the way for Clayton; Broussard wants Clayton’s help.

“He was like, ‘Hey bro, I can’t do it by myself. I need you, too,'” Clayton said.

By all accounts, Colorado should have a three-headed monster in the backfield in 2021 and Clayton is extremely motivated to contribute. He’s learning his playbook, he’s refining his body, and he isn’t using the past year as an excuse.

“Covid was terrible for everybody, so I just looked at it as ‘I’m not the only person going through this,'” Clayton said. “I’ve just had to mature and humble myself because CU is the place for me.”

Not only is CU the place for Clayton, the 19-year-old says living in Boulder is starting to feel natural.

“I feel like I’m probably the farthest from home on the team,” Clayton said. “I’m adapting (to Colorado). It feels like a second home.”