Kaelin Clay (born January 3, 1992) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans in the Unite ...

, earning first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 2014. He was selected by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

in the sixth round of the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

Early life

Clay attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

. He caught 20 passes for 502 yards and six

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s in his junior season on a team that won the Southern Section title. He began his '' SuperPrep''

and All-Moore League senior season as a

before moving to the backfield for the final four games. He rushed for 1,048 yards and posted another 524 receiving to combine for 1,572 rushing and receiving yards as a senior while scoring 15 touchdowns (eight receiving, seven rushings) and adding 13

punt return Punt or punting may refer to: Boats * Punt (boat), a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow developed on the River Thames * Falmouth Quay Punt, a small sailing vessel hired by ships anchored in Falmouth harbour * Norfolk Punt, a type of racing ...

s for 206 yards. Clay was ranked as the No. 53 wide receiver nationally by Rivals.com and the media outlet's No. 79 player overall in the state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Also a standout

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

athlete, Clay finished third in the state in the 100-meter dash (10.44) and fourth in the 200-meter dash (21.07) as a senior in 2010 with career-best times in both. He helped his track squad win Moore League titles in each his four seasons, while he was a four-time winner (100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay) at the league track meet in each of his final two seasons, as well as the winner in both the 100m and 200m for each of his final three campaigns.

College career

Clay played one year at Utah after transferring from Mt. San Antonio College, where he was named first-team all-conference with 16 touchdowns. He made four different All-American teams as a return specialist in 2014 with Utah and was named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference as a return specialist. He also finished the season with a punt return average of 15.0 and three touchdowns. Also returned a kickoff for a touchdown last season and had a 24.9 average on kickoff returns. On November 8, 2014, Clay received national coverage when, with Utah up 7–0 against the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCA ...

, on what would have been Clay's defining 79-yard touchdown for his collegiate career, he celebrated prematurely and dropped the ball on the 1-yard line, allowing Oregon's Joe Walker to recover the ball and return it 99 yards for a touchdown in the opposite direction, changing the potential 14–0 score to a 7–7 tie; Oregon would go on to win the game 51–27.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The

selected Clay in the sixth round of the

with the 184th overall pick. On September 5, 2015, he was waived by the Buccaneers and was signed to the practice squad. On September 15, 2015, he was released by the Buccaneers.

Detroit Lions

On September 22, 2015, Clay was signed by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

to the practice squad.

Baltimore Ravens

On November 17, 2015, Clay was signed by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

from the Lions' practice squad. On November 22, 2015, Clay played in his first career game against the St. Louis Rams. The next week against their divisional rival,

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, Clay returned the Browns’ first punt for an 82-yard touchdown on '' Monday Night Football''. During the August 11 preseason opener against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

, Clay fumbled a punt, giving Carolina possession. He was waived/injured by the Ravens on August 15, 2016, and was placed on injured reserve. He was released from the Ravens' injured reserve list on November 11, 2016.

Carolina Panthers (first stint)

On April 7, 2017, Clay signed a one-year contract with the Panthers.

Buffalo Bills (first stint)

On September 2, 2017, Clay was traded to the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

for

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

Kevon Seymour. He was waived by the Bills on October 23, 2017.

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On October 24, 2017, Clay was claimed off waivers by the Panthers. On November 26, 2017, he returned a punt for a touchdown against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

. It was the second of his career.

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

On March 29, 2018, Clay signed with the Bills. He was waived on September 1, 2018.

New York Giants

On September 1, 2018, Clay was claimed off waivers by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on September 25, 2018, after suffering a sprained ankle in Week 2. He was released on October 2, 2018.

Salt Lake Stallions

On December 22, 2018, Clay signed with the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football. He was placed on injured reserve on March 13, 2019. The league ceased operations in April 2019.

References

External links

Utah Utes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clay, Kaelin 1992 births Living people Players of American football from Long Beach, California American football wide receivers American football return specialists Mt. SAC Mounties football players Utah Utes football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Detroit Lions players Baltimore Ravens players Carolina Panthers players Buffalo Bills players New York Giants players Salt Lake Stallions players Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni