CFC#2 Claypool: “It’s relieving knowing I made a great, great choice and made my family proud”

Yesterday night, CFC#2 Chase Claypool made one of the biggest decisions of his gridiron career.

While participating at The Opening in Beaverton, Ohio, the 6’6, 213 pound athlete from Abbottsford, British Columbia announced on a pre-taped segment on ESPNU last night that he was committing to NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team, Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Claypool received more than 12 NCAA offers during this process. However, he told CFC that his top schools were Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon, Rutgers and Washington.

The CFC#2 ranked prospect has suited up for Abbotsford Collegiate Panthers of the British Columbia High School Football Association (BCHSFA).

Last month, Claypool was ranked second in the first edition of the #CFC100 CLASS2016 RANKINGS.

“It’s honestly a blessing,” he added about the ranking.

Back in early June, the Fighting Irish came into play in early June when Wide Receivers Coach Mike Denbrock made the push to land Claypool by taking a trip to British Columbia.

“Coach Denbrock came down to my school, which meant a lot that he came down all that way to came talk to coaches and teachers,” recalled the CFC#2 player.

Soon after Denrbrock’s trip to British Columbia, Claypool made the trek down to Notre Dame and was impressed with the football program and campus.

“I went down for a camp and got to stay on campus for a few days so it gave me an idea of what it’s like and it felt really good,” reflected the British Columbia standout.  “Then, I bonded with coaches and players over dinner and lunch playing games I watched the guys practice but their GSR was biggest thing for me.”

Claypool has been participating at The Opening for the past couple of days. It is an elite event which the top high school prospects compete in linemen, 7-on-7 and SPARQ testing competitions.

WR Chase Claypool – Team #HyperCool | #TheOpening Top 10, No. 5 https://t.co/v4ur9tI040

— The Opening (@TheOpening) July 10, 2015

For his part, Denbrock was elated with Claypool’s decision and took to twitter to express his thoughts last night:

We Got Better Today ND! Just think of what tomorrow will bring. #Hungry #HardWork #GoIrish

— Mike Denbrock (@MikeDenbrock) July 11, 2015

Now that the months of deliberating are over, the CFC#2 can focus on his senior season with the Panthers and getting prepared for the leap to the NCAA level in 2016.

“It’s relieving knowing I made a great, great choice and made my family proud but the recruiting process was really fun,” commented Claypool.

However, Claypool would not have been able to get to this juncture in his career without the encouragement and motivation of several coaches. Ultimately, they played a role in making the CFC#2’s dream become a reality yesterday.

“I’d like to thank my coach Jay Fujimura for doing such a great job along as Teague Funk and Elmore Abraham,” expressed Claypool.  “And to the trainers that got me noticed, Eddie Ferg and Karen Lopez with Air Raid Academy.”

(twitter: http://twitter.com/vohra_ameeta)