Clay attended Snyder High School, where he was used as a blocking tight end in a run-oriented offense.
He accepted a football scholarship from Texas A&M University, where he had the same role as a blocking tight end.
In 1994, he played in 11 games as a junior, catching four passes for 37 yards for an Aggies team that went 10–0–1 and finished the season ranked 8th.
On August 31, 1999, he was placed on injured reserve list with a knee injury he suffered in training camp, as a result he missed the entire season.
[9] On July 27, he had arthroscopy surgery on his left knee,[10] which would limit him during training camp.