4-Star CB Chad Clay Names Georgia Favorite, Says He'd 'Love to Stay at Home'

One of the biggest names in attendance for Georgia’s junior day last weekend was 2016 4-star corner Chad Clay.

The 6’0”, 177-pounder, whose father, Willie Clay, was a standout defensive back at Georgia Tech and in the NFL, said that the Bulldogs made a strong impression on him during the weekend’s festivities.

“Coming out of this visit, I’m going to put Georgia at No. 1,” Clay told Bleacher Report. “They made a really big jump in my mind.”

But what is it about the Bulldogs that has them trending with one of the nation’s top corners in the 2016 class, and how did this weekend’s trip open his eyes up to the possibility of staying close to home?

For starters, Clay has developed a strong bond with Bulldogs defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.

On this trip, Clay said that he got to interact more with the staff and Pruitt in particular.

“This time, it stuck out to me more because I got a lot more one-on-one time with the coaches because it wasn’t like a game atmosphere where they had to worry about a game,” Clay said. “Coach Pruitt and the defensive staff really seem like they have a plan in the future going forward to get Georgia in contending for a playoff spot every year. They really put a big emphasis on recruiting the Georgia kids.”

Clay was one of several in-state standouts in town over the weekend, as noted by Rusty Mansell of Dawgs247.

He also notes that he’s developed a strong bond with a number of top prospects he played with during the Rising Seniors game last December. The group of recruits had such a good time that he admits that he has pondered the thought of staying home and building something special in Athens.

“When I think about it, in the long run, I’d love to stay at home and play with some of my good friends and people I’ve grown up with since I’ve been playing football,” Clay said. “To stay at home and play college football and win, that would be a great thing.”

There’s another layer to Clay’s recruitment that makes the current direction of this process all the more intriguing.

Of course, Clay’s father starred for the rival Yellow Jackets, but his mom attended Georgia, which makes Chad’s recruitment quite the topic of interest in the Clay household. 

“The crazy thing is, my dad, he always tells me he will leave it up to me and he wants me to make the best decision for me and my life because he’s already lived his,” Chad said.

“She’s the one who came up with me for junior day because my dad was out of town and she really liked it. She was talking to Coach [Mark] Richt and Coach Pruitt and she really likes UGA from an academic standpoint. She said there’s a feeling of trust between her and the coaching staff at UGA.”

The Bulldogs are now in the driver’s seat with one of the many studs on a loaded squad at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia. However, Clay has visits lined up to a few SEC programs coming up in the near future—with a timeline for his decision also on the horizon. 

“I don’t have the exact dates, but I know I have trips to LSU, Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi State coming up,” Clay said. I want to make a decision by May or by the summer time. So these visits will be crucial coming up.”

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani