Claybourn, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound native of Evansville, Ind., is the seventh former Hilltopper to be on an NFL roster this summer, joining Sherrod Coates, Joseph Jefferson, Jeremi Johnson, Mel Mitchell, Anthony Oakley and Rod “He Hate Me” Smart.
He ended his Topper career ranked second on the Hill with 226 punts, 9,237 yards and an average of 40.9 yards per kick. Claybourn also holds the school game and season records with averages of 52 (against I-A Kansas State in the 2004 season opener) and 43.4 (2004) yards per punt, respectively, while his 49.6 average per kick at KSU in 2002 is third on the game record list. He is also in the top 10 on the season record charts with his performances from his freshman (40.1 ypk — ninth) and junior (41.2 ypk — fourth) campaigns.
Claybourn was a third-team All-America selection following last season by The Sports Network and Associated Press, also earning first-team all-Gateway Football Conference accolades. He was named first-team all-league as a junior, second-team all-GFC his freshman season and was an honorable mention all-conference choice in 2002, and was voted to the Gateway’s All-Newcomer Team in ’01.
A two-time conference Special Teams Player-of-the-Week honoree, Claybourn was also chosen second-team Gateway All-Academic Team each of the last two seasons.
