EWU football: Clay DeBord makes most of opportunity

If he weren’t laboring in the trenches of a football field, Clay DeBord figures he’d simply be laboring.

And having a lot less fun.

“It’s been a helluva ride,” DeBord said of a serendipitous journey that began in the southeastern Washington town of Asotin and taken him farther than he dreamed possible.

Next spring – if he’s not playing professionally – the Eastern Washington offensive lineman will earn his degree in mechanical engineering and become the first in his family to graduate from college. He’s also on track to start more than 50 games for the Eagles.

For all of that, DeBord said he can thank the coaches and faculty at Eastern Washington, who saw his potential and helped him realize it.

Finding the right path

Football wasn’t exactly DeBord’s chosen field; it chose him.

Midway through high school in Asotin – population 1,251 – DeBord was 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. He spent his spare time hunting for deer instead of colleges.

In other words, he had size but not much stature, considering the Panthers were playing the likes of Dayton, Pomeroy and Waitsburg-Prescott.

Luckily, he and some teammates found their way to Cheney for Eastern’s annual football camp. Before his senior year in the summer of 2010, DeBord caught the eye of offensive line coach Aaron Best, and the courtship began.

And not a moment too soon. DeBord had planned on going to trade school, perhaps becoming a welder; college wasn’t even on his radar. Instead, EWU offered him a last-minute scholarship.

“What a godsend,” said DeBord, who made the most of his redshirt freshman year to get up to speed in the classroom. As an academic nonqualifier, he couldn’t participate in fall or spring drills, and finally got on a practice field in August 2012.

On the last day of that month, DeBord – whose last game was a loss to Lind-Ritzville almost two years earlier – found himself starting at left tackle in the opening game at Idaho. A week later, he played in front 33,598 fans in Martin Stadium, where he had watched from the stands as a youth.

“When I was a kid, I was an Idaho fan and a WSU fan, and now in my first start, I’m starting against the guys I used to watch. I got caught up in the moment, so those weren’t my two best games,” DeBord said.

Better games followed. Three weeks later, in his first start at Roos Field, DeBord was sealing off the edge against a Montana defender while quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. rolled out and found wide receiver Ashton Clark for a game-winning touchdown.

It’s been that way ever since. With DeBord manning the blind side for Kyle Padron, Adams and Jordan West, the Eagles are 35-11 overall and 21-2 in the Big Sky Conference while winning three straight league titles.

From follower to leader

By his sophomore year, DeBord hit 6-6 and 305 pounds, but hadn’t reached his potential as an offensive lineman.

“I definitely had to lean on guys,” he says, rattling off the names of former teammates and role models, including Will Post, Steven Forgette, Ashton Miller, Jake Rodgers and Jase Butorac.

Above all, there was Best, a fixture at Eastern for almost two decades. “He’s awesome,” DeBord said. “You’re always going to butt heads from time to time. … I think I’m right and he knows he’s right, but at the end of the day, there’s a mutual respect.”

There’s definitely a learning curve on the offensive line, said Butorac, a former center who graduated last year but is helping Best this fall. “He’s a better tackle than I could ever hope to be, and there are times when I’m learning from him,” Butorac said.

Together, they’ve paved the way for a record-setting offense. In 2013, with DeBord earning second-team All-Big Sky honors, the Eagles set conference and school records with 592 points, 83 touchdowns and 8,002 yards of offense.

A year later, the Eagles were first in the Football Championship Subdivision in scoring offense (44.1 per game) and first downs (361), second in passing efficiency (163.52) and third in total offense (513.4 yards).

A key ingredient? Chemistry on the offensive line, says left guard Aaron Neary, who plays next to DeBord. “Clay is just physically and mentally the most reliable person to have next to you.”

This year’s major task – apart from winning a fourth straight conference title and getting a shot at the national title – is helping Best raise the next generation of linemen. This year’s roster includes seven seniors, but nearly all the rest are underclassmen.

After that, he’ll give the NFL a shot. If that doesn’t work out, “I won’t be too busted up about it,” said DeBord, who plans to put his degree to use by telling other people what to do.

And enjoying the fruits of his labors.