Union’s Kenyon Clay made school history last week.
Clay became the first Union High School football player to sign with a Division I football program since the 1980s when he inked with Southern Mississippi on Wednesday.
Clay was one of the first signees on the board for USM on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Union had a ceremony celebrating Clay’s signings on Thursday.
“It’s really cool for Kenyon and the city of Union and the school district,” Clay said. “I just found out that he is the first kid out of high school that has signed Division I and that means a lot to not just him but the kids that look up to him and his academic achievements in his career. It’s not just a positive for him, it’s a positive for the whole community.”
Clay had 1,089 yards rushing and 567 yards passing this season despite missing several games with a hurt ankle. He was selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star football game, another first for Union High School.
Clay said playing Division I football has been a dream of his since he was a small child.
“It feels great and it’s a blessing to be the first one from Union High School to play Division I football (in a long itme) right out of high school,” Clay said. “I just thank God for the opportunity and thank my family and thank everyone who has supported me along the way. It was a childhood dream of mine. I just want the kids to know that anything is possible even when you come from a small town if you keep God first, keep your grades up and obey your mother. She’s going to tell you what the right things are and I feel like that plays a big part in signing a Division I scholarship.”
Wren said USM is not only getting a great athlete but a great student and citizen.
“They are getting a kid that is going to be very hard to outwork and won’t take no for an answer,” Wren said. “He is going to be the first one there and the last one to leave. His academics is going to be awesome. To be honest, it’s very rare for you to have your best athlete to be your best kid in the school and to be the hardest worker that holds himself accountable more than anybody else. That speaks volumes of him for the younger kids to see. It’s not our job to save people, it’s our job to plant seeds and let God do the rest and I think Kenyon has done a great job of that.”
Clay has been a four-year starter for the Yellowjackets and actually took high school snaps as an eighth grader.
“I wanted today to be possible but I tried not to think too much ahead,” Clay said. “I just tried to keep my head level and just focused on winning and doing what was best for the team. I try my best to be a great example for the students at Union High School. It’s good to not always be the bad student. It’s a blessing to have them talk in a positive way about me.”
Clay will graduate from Union at the end of the December semester and will enroll at USM in the January. Clay said he plans to major in athletic training.
