QB credits Clawson for success

By now, you're probably familiar with a few of the stars University of Tennessee offensive coordinator Dave Clawson coached during his 20-year career.

Heck, you probably tried to draft Brian Westbrook, the Philadelphia Eagles' Pro Bowl running back who Clawson coached at Villanova. Maybe you've heard of wide receiver Brian Finneran, who won the Walter Payton Award at Villanova and went on to become a standout with the Atlanta Falcons.

A name you've probably never heard is Kevin Eakin, but his story perhaps sheds more light on Clawson than any of his other former stars.

In 2000, Eakin was your run of the mill wing-T prep quarterback at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

That is to say he wasn't exactly a five-star recruit. His first offer to play college football came from Division I-AA Fordham, where Clawson was coach.

And it was based on a single pass.

One look at the way Eakin used his wrist to release the ball was all Clawson needed to see.

"It was just amazing to me," Eakin says now. "Maybe he was blowing smoke, but I feel like he has that good of a feel for it."

So Eakin took Fordham's offer. His only other scholarship opportunity was for football and basketball at a small school in Upstate New York.

Eakin remained on the fence and buried down the depth chart his first two seasons, deciding twice to leave the Rams and walk-on at Alabama. But twice he decided to stay, largely because of Clawson.

The results are hard to argue.

Eakin earned first-team All-Patriot League honors his final two seasons at Fordham, when he threw for a combined 6,094 yards and 45 touchdowns.

While far from an NFL superstar, he went from unrecruited to a free-agent signee with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, where he eventually landed on the practice roster. He also played in NFL Europe and two seasons in the Canadian Football League.

Eakin's still playing. He has guided the Tennessee Valley Vipers of Huntsville, Ala., to the ArenaCup for the af2 championship.

Eakin credits Clawson for it all.

"He truly taught me everything," Eakin says. "I didn't know the first thing about football. He took me from somebody who didn't know the difference between a cover two and a cover three to an all-league player.

"I give him all the credit in the world. (Without Clawson) I would have been a guy with a pretty good arm and a decent amount of athleticism. And there's a lot of guys like that."

Eakin, however, says there aren't many coaches like Clawson.

At Fordham, Eakin saw Clawson adapt to his players, both in the way he coached and the way he tailored his offense.

"I think one of the major keys that he has is that he's not afraid to change," said Eakin who spent a season as a graduate assistant under Clawson before signing with the Jets. "He's going to do whatever it takes to win. At Richmond, he had a more versatile quarterback than I was. He incorporated that into his offense. He's great at getting the best out of what he has to work with."

He's pretty good at planning, too. Eakin can't recall being surprised by anything an opposing defense threw at the Rams in his time as quarterback, for which he credits Clawson's meticulous planning and preparation.

But perhaps the best testimonial Eakin can give is in his rooting allegiance.

Despite being born in Minnesota and raised in Florida, Eakin inherited an intense love of Alabama football from his father.

Clawson, already responsible for Eakin's pro career, forced his former quarterback to do the unthinkable when UT faces UCLA.

"I'm a Crimson Tide fan, grew up a Crimson Tide fan," Eakin says, "and this is the first time I'll root for the Vols."