There are certain things a coaching staff can do for a player, and there are certain things they cannot.

A coach can teach technique, he can advise a player on school, he can get a player into great shape. What a coach cannot do is teach size or speed. Those are things a player either has or doesn't have. In Nate Clements' case, the OSU coaching staff is off the hook. Nate Clements can pick 'em up and lay them down. So well, in fact, that when the coaches put a stop watch on him at the OSU football camp last year, they were impressed enough to offer Clements a scholarship on the spot. You see, you can't coach speed, and when you find it, you gotta grab it.

Before we start talking about just how fast Nate Clements might be, it is important that you understand something. Lots of the 40 times you see are bogus. Well, not really bogus, but kind of unrealistic. An athlete might run a great 40 once, and come in at say 4.45. That is really burning. Maybe he got the perfect start, hit his stride perfectly, the weather was just right, his diet was perfect, his girl friend was treating him right that day, his karma was perfect, his aura was the right color, his sign of the zodiac was rising, and he really did run a 4.45. That same athlete might never run a 4.45 again in his life. He might run 4.55 to 4.50 every time, but he never goes sub 4.5 again. So what's his 40 time? Is it his best, a legit 4.45 that he'll never run again, or the 4.55 that he runs consistently? I really don't know the answer to that, so I have taken to asking the athletes two questions. I ask them what their consistent time is in the 40, than I ask them what their best time is. I am finding that there is a difference of anywhere from .05 to .10 seconds. That seems to be the trend.

So what does all that have to do with Nate Clements? Well, I asked Nate what his 40 time is, and he told me he runs a 4.40. Well, savvy scribe that I am, I figured that had to be his best, and asked him what his consistent time is. Nate shocked me when he repeated 4.40. To put that in perspective, the current fastest Buckeyes (Antoine Winfield, Gary Berry) have a best ever time of 4.39. That is screaming. Now here comes Nate Clements, and he is running 4.40, a mere 1/100 of a second slower, consistently. Are you dying to know the answer to the next question? Do you want to know Nate's best ever? Nate Clements was timed in the 40 by his high school coach at 4.31, and that, Buckeye fans, is why the OSU coaching staff was so anxious to wrap up this bolt of lightning so early in the recruiting season.

Along with that blazing speed, Nate Clements brings respectable size to the field as well. He stands 6-0, and now weighs in at 190 pounds, up about 5 pounds from the 185 he played at last year as a senior at Shaker Heights High School in Cleveland. Like so many of the players we see coming to Ohio State, Clements has a bit more going for him than size and incredible speed. He has attitude. Nate Clements is a competitor who loves the challenge of playing against the best and excelling.

"I would say that in most the games I played I was able to shut down one receiver, because in most the games I played the quarterback wouldn't throw it to my side. That's something I take pride in. That shows that they give me respect," said Clements recently to the O-Zone.

According to his mother, Emma Clements, Nate has always been a competitor.

"Nate has been very competitive, ever since he was a little child growing up. He always wanted to be the winner. He never wanted to lose. Whatever Nate did, he always liked to give it his best," said Mrs. Clements.

According to Nate's mother, that competitive attitude led to some heated exchanges around the Clements house, particularly between Nate and his brother Jermaine Clements. Jermaine is quite an athlete in his own right, and sometimes the competition got a little heated.

"They have their good days and their bad days as brothers. They're very competitive. They love one another and when the time comes for them to stick together they're there for each other."

The Clements boys come by their athletic ability and competitive spirit honestly. As in the case of so many athletes, blood lines are important, and according to Emma Clements, Nate has good ones.

"My husband played football in school, then he went into the Army and he was a boxer in the Army, and till this day he still exercises, jogs, runs, plays basketball with the boys, and plays a little football with the boys," said Mrs. Clements.

So what does a guy like Nate Clements do to get ready for his upcoming debut as a Buckeye football player? Clements said that this year as a high school senior, he decided to go out for track for the first time, because, believe it or not, he wanted to try to improve his speed.

"That's one of the reasons I ran track, to maintain or increase my speed," said Clements. "I do these little agility workouts to help my quickness, stuff like that. Working on my starts is also important. I've also been working on my bench press to get my upper body stronger so I can pump better and be faster," said Nate.

Nate Clements has that gift of speed that no amount of coaching can provide, but according to Emma Clements, before Nate Clements agreed to be a Buckeye, the Clements family was keenly interested in just what the OSU coaching staff would do for him.

"When I talked to the coach there, I asked him if they looked after things like is he getting to the dentist, is he getting his teeth cleaned, if he is sick will you call me. Little things like that I worry about. I felt that the coaching staff at Ohio State was going to look after my son. If I didn't feel comfortable with Ohio State and the coaching staff after asking them different questions, Nate wouldn't be going there. I feel very comfortable with Nate at Ohio State. I feel it is like a family, that's what I like about it. Most of the coaches there have families and children, so I liked that family atmosphere they had there at Ohio State, plus the academics," said Mrs. Clements.

According to Nate, there were a few other factors that went into the decision to attend Ohio State as well. Clements was recruited heavily by programs like Syracuse, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue, Wake Forest and others, but in the end, Ohio State was the place for him.

"A big part of my decision was that I went there for summer camp last summer. After my visit there, I felt the atmosphere was real nice there. I got to hang around with the players. I felt real comfortable around the coaches and players."

Clements also said he liked coaches John Tenuta and Fred Pagac. Of coach Pagac, Clements said "He's kind of outgoing, kind of wild. I though he was real funny too."

While Pagac may have charmed Clements, Tenuta made a definite impression when the two talked about the style of play of the OSU defensive backfield.

"I like his style. He'll let me play man to man. He likes that," said Clements, and added that he loves the challenge of one-on-one, man-to-man coverage.

Clements obvious position on the football field is at corner back, but also adds that he would like to try his hand at returning some kicks at Ohio State as well.

Clements will be participating in both the Ohio North/South All-Star game and the Big 33 All-Star games, and then plans to come to Columbus in June to start running with the Buckeyes. Clements recently got good news on the academic front when he got a score of 860 on the SAT. That score, coupled with his 2.4 GPA, will make him eligible to play next year for the Bucks. Clements is undecided on a major at OSU, but is interested in business management and computer science, and is considering pursuing a major in one of those two fields.Clements also says that his first priority at OSU in academics, and not athletics.

"My first goal is to get my degree. My second goal will be to be successful at football at Ohio State. I would say football success would be to get a lot of playing time," said Clements.

Clements says that he is not averse to the possibility of a red shirt year.

"If I come in and show them what I got, if I'm good enough to play, then I'll be playing. If I'm not in the two deep though, I probably would want to be redshirted," said Clements.

When he is not participating in Sports, Clements does the typical teen age stuff, but according to his mother, he is also very active in his church.

"He attends church. Every year they vote on people for different positions at church, and he was elected the Junior Usher on the Board in the church. He was also the junior superintendent of Sunday school", said Mrs. Clements.

Nate Clements looks like a guy to keep an eye on in the OSU football program, but take a bit of advice from me. Don't blink. He might run right past you.

Return to O-Zone Front Page

Return to O-Zone Columns and Features