Behind the Facemask: Eduardo Clements
July 19, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla.–No dream comes true without sacrifice and these young men have worked to make their dream of playing at the U come true. Here are the men behind the sacrifice…
Eduardo Clements | Defensive Back | Sophomore | Miami, Fla.
I’m a Hurricane because I love the tradition, the team, the fans, the atmosphere at the games, everything.
Coming to Miami on my visit and talking to some of the guys here, they welcomed me onto the team. They didn’t look at me and think of me as someone taking their position, but more like a brother. That’s something very serious to it, how family-oriented it is. I felt like I was welcomed into a family. All of us look out for each other.
My favorite song right now is “I’m On One” by Drake.
My favorite thing about being part of the U family is just waking up everyday and knowing that when I’ve got problems, I’ve got brothers and people to help me through everything. I really don’t have to call my mom or dad and tell them what I’m going through out there. I can call Sean Spence or Boom [Marcus Forston] and they help me and give me advice.
At the U, I’ve learned so much from Marcus Forston.
One thing everyone should know about Miami football is that it is dedicated to hard work and being student-athletes.
Other than football, I’m talented at basketball. Just shooting, though. I don’t want to do anything else, I just want to shoot (laughs).
Booker T. Washington High School made me who I am today. I had a lot of tough times. I lost a best friend at Booker T my senior year. I feel like Booker T is always going to be in my heart, no matter what. I had Coach Ice Harris for a few years as head coach at Booker T and it was a great experience. Then, I got here and he was here for my first year, so that made it even better. Booker T will always have a place in my heart.
The actor I would want to play me in a movie is Kevin Hart, if it’s a funny one. If it’s action, either Vin Diesel or the Rock.
The song no one would believe I have on my iPod is “Promise” by Ciera.
No one can believe I sing. Only in the shower though.
If I could spend a day with anybody, it would be my best friend Anthony Smith who passed my senior year. When things get tough, I always think about him smiling and how he’d attack that situation. If I could go with anybody, it would be him.
The most influential person in my life is my mom. Through everything, up’s and down’s, it’s her. I’m a big mama’s boy. I don’t wash clothes. She’s really one of the reasons I came here. She doesn’t want anybody else washing my clothes, so that’s a big thing for her. This was the only place I could go.
Legacy is everything. Everyone wants to have their own legacy and have people to remember them by something. Coming here UM has a lot of people who have a great legacy, and I want to continue in that role.
Best advice I can give is that winners never quit, and quitters never win.
When I played football as a kid, I pretended to be LaDainian Tomlinson. As a running back, he’s very versatile. He has great vision, great hands, and that’s that. I switched my position this year. I played running back from high school up until this year. It’s different to be on the other side of the ball, trying to figure out what the other guy is doing. Going against the guys on our team, Allen Hurns, Travis Benjamin, Davon Johnson, all the fast guys, you second-guess yourself as to how fast you have to push yourself against them. Practicing against them everyday will only make us better as a defense and make me better as a player.
Coming into spring, I played running back, so I was on top of my playbook. Coach Golden called me into his office and asked me if I could do something. I’m a team player, so I’ll do whatever the coaches ask me. They asked me to play corner. I had a little setback when I had high ankle sprain, and then they asked me to play safety. They threw everything at me, and as a team player, I took everything and ran with it. Right now, the guy who keeps me levelheaded and teaches me everything is Ray-Ray Armstrong. He helps me with everything, he’s very football intelligent and school intelligent. I take advice from him and anyone else.
When I was six years old, I was very interested in light-up shoes. My mom used to catch a fit because I wanted every pair. I had at least four pairs (laughs).
Football has given me a lot of headaches. A lot of up’s and down’s. Football has taught me a lot. It’s taught me how to be on time, and how to be responsible. It’s like a responsibility. It also taught me how to communicate with different people, people coming from different places and different backgrounds. Being on the football team, you’ll have that every year.
I never thought coming from my neighborhood that I would be here. I took a different route, and my mom and my dad stayed on me no matter what. I never thought I would be here right now. They kept me away from a lot of stuff. I’m just happy to be here.
I was raised in a tough environment, where nothing came free. You had to fight for whatever you wanted, and I’m still fighting.
Make sure to check in for a new Behind the Facemask profile each and everyday in preparation for the Hurricane football season opener. For a review of all past profiles, check out Behind the Facemask Central.
