On February 4th, Mobile’s game will be held at Hancock-Whitney Stadium and over a hundred of the nation’s draft hopeful seniors will descend on the Gulf Coast for a week of practice in front of scouts from every NFL team before the Senior Bowl. Leading up to the game, we’ll take a look at a different prospect every day and talk about their background, their college career, where they could be drafted, and how the Senior Bowl could help them. Today, we’ll discuss Houston’s dynamic quarterback, Clayton Tune:
Background:
Clayton Tune is a true Texas kid, graduating from Hebron High School in Carrollton, TX in the class of 2018. While Tune was originally committed to play football for the Kansas Jayhawks, he de-committed and chose to play for Houston instead after visiting. He also had an offer to play for Ole Miss. During his high school career, Tune threw for nearly 7,000 yards and 66 touchdowns as well as rushing for over 1,000 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. He was a three star recruit who was ranked as the 35th pro style QB in the nation for the class of 2018.
College Career:
Tune arrived on campus at Houston originally as the backup to D’Eriq King. He would start two games at the end of the year after King went down with an injury and performed admirably, finishing the season with 8 touchdowns to 2 interceptions. He entered his sophomore year again as the backup, but took the reigns once King elected to sit out the rest of the season. The Cougars struggled to a 4-8 record and Tune was not playing very well, but he entered the offseason as the starter nonetheless and would start every game in 2020.
With three full seasons as the starting QB from 2020-2022, Tune would improve every season. In 2021, Tune led the Cougars to a 12-2 record with losses only to Texas Tech and undefeated Cincinnati in the conference championship game, who would make the College Football Playoff. This year was his best season by far statistically, throwing for over 4,000 yards for the first time in his career to go along with 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also added 544 yards on the ground and five rushing scores. Tune would finish his Cougars career with a win, defeating Louisiana-Lafayette in the Independence Bowl via a comeback victory. Check out some of his best plays throughout his career:
Current Draft Projection:
This QB class is particularly interesting due to the fact that guys will likely be over drafted for possessing traits that are coveted in the NFL even if the production has not been there (see Anthony Richardson of Florida for example). Tune, meanwhile, is nearly a four year starter who has produced and at times, excelled. That being said, he will likely still fall to Day 3 in the draft due to it being a solid class of QBs and the fact that he doesn’t have arm strength that will raise any eyebrows. Still, Tune is rock solid and will get his chance in an NFL camp.
How the Senior Bowl Could Help Him:
Tune is going to be competing in Mobile against signal callers who are expected to go in a similar spot in the draft as him such as Fresno State’s Jake Haener and BYU’s Jaren Hall. Being able to elevate himself from guys who he is currently seen as equal to is a massive opportunity. While there are concerns about his arm strength, Tune’s combination of speed and accuracy as well as a willingness to throw the ball down the field can absolutely impress some scouts at the Senior Bowl. Keep your eye on Tune as one of the QBs to watch in Mobile:
