Hoag follows Clabo's footsteps

By MARK BURGESS, burgess@knews.com
February 9, 2007

Their paths have never crossed in a literal sense. It's not like Michael Hoag has Tyson Clabo's cell number on speed dial.

They've never met and never talked, but they're still linked by circumstances, similarities - and schools.

Hoag and Clabo can both etch their names as two of the best offensive linemen to ever come out of Farragut High School.

Clabo can already make the same kind of claim at Wake Forest.

Now it's Hoag's turn.

The senior signed his letter of intent to join the Demon Deacons on Wednesday.

The Inspiration Hoag may not know Clabo, but he definitely knows the stories and the history.

Clabo was a highly touted starter at Farragut who didn't get a lot of interest from Tennessee despite the fact his father, Phil, played at UT from 1971-75.

He went on to start 37 games and become an All-Atlantic Coast Conference player as a senior at Wake Forest in 2003.

This past season, after stints on practice rosters and a year in NFL Europe, Clabo finally got his shot and started 10 games for the Atlanta Falcons.

Knowing Clabo's past gave his understudy instant hope.

"It made me think there's still a chance," Hoag said. "No matter how under-recruited you are, there's always a chance to do well.

"He went under the radar at UT, went on to Wake Forest, got cut a couple of times (in the NFL), and now he's starting. When opportunities present themselves, you've got to take them.

"He did the most with his opportunities and now I'm hoping to do the same."

Clabo knows as well as anyone that determination can go a long way in shaping a player's future.

He's hoping Hoag can follow a similar route to success.

"I'm excited he's going out there," Clabo said. "It's another offensive lineman Tennessee missed the boat on and let get away to Wake Forest."

Not that Clabo's bitter. It's actually just the opposite.

"It's probably better I didn't go to Tennessee anyway," he said. "I got a chance to play right away at Wake.

"All my friends went to Tennessee and I probably wouldn't have even graduated. I would have been running around probably getting in trouble, so I was probably better off."

The Similarities Hoag is 6-6, 285 pounds and a high school senior.

Clabo is 6-6, 314 pounds with a couple of years of life in the NFL.

Farragut coach Eddie Courtney says the size and body frames on Hoag and Clabo are only the beginning of the similarities.

"Both studied the game and really took it seriously," Courtney said. "They took pride in being an offensive lineman.

"They do the little things really well and they're both great character kids. There are a lot of similarities with how they carry themselves and how they became team leaders."

Hoag was the News Sentinel's No. 20-ranked prospect in the state this season.

Like Clabo, however, he didn't have a barrage of schools beating down his door.

Marshall, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee State, Elon and Alabama State were among the other schools to express interest, but Hoag committed early to Wake Forest.

"They offered me when I went up to watch the Liberty game in September," Hoag said. "I got the offer and there was nowhere else I wanted to be. With the education and everything, I committed a couple of days later."

Hoag still isn't getting a lot of hype among the recruiting experts, but it's not something that bothers him or Farragut offensive line coach Rusty Partin.

"I think Michael's upside is his size and his frame," Partin said. "He has tremendous footwork and he's really intelligent.

"Put those things together and it makes a very good football player. It's easy to see on film."

It's also exactly what helped Clabo go from an undrafted NFL free agent to a starter for the Falcons.

"He hung in there and when he got his chance he took it and ran with it," Courtney said. "He got some breaks at Wake Forest, got some breaks with the Falcons and he's been able to do really well."

For Clabo, it was simply a matter of perseverance and a love of the game.

He spent a preseason with the Denver Broncos in 2004. He then had practice-squad stints with the New York Giants, San Diego Chargers and back with the Broncos the same year.

He spent early 2005 with the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe and was later signed by the Falcons and joined the practice squad. Injuries to the offensive line this season forced Clabo to make his NFL debut as a starter Oct 22 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"I've always said as long as I have a job in the game, I'll keep playing," Clabo said. "Even when I was having times when I was getting cut, somebody else would always call.

"They'd say, 'Hey, come be on the practice squad.' I couldn't turn that down and I finally got an opportunity to play and it was a good year for me."

The Advice Clabo understands exactly what Hoag is going through right now.

He knows the Farragut senior is anxious to test the college scene and see if he can make it at a big-time Division I football school.

His advice is fairly simple.

"He needs to go in there expecting to play right away," Clabo said. "I didn't redshirt. In my opinion, that's one of the weakspots on that team right now and he should go in and expect to play.

"If he's going in thinking he's going to redshirt, that's how he'll play. I fully expect him to go in there and do well."

Football has definitely become a big deal around Wake Forest.

After years of frustration and a "basketball school" perception, the Demon Deacons had one of those magical breakthrough seasons in 2006.

They won their first ACC title since 1970 and finished 11-3, including a trip to the Orange Bowl.

"The entire time I was at Wake, it seemed like we were right there, always in games but somehow would lose games at the end," Clabo said. "This past year, they won those games and it was exciting for everybody."

Now it's Hoag's turn to help keep the momentum rolling.

"To watch them start beating all those good teams back to back, it was awesome to think I'm going to be there next year," he said. "Hopefully, we'll do the same thing.

"I'm just working on getting stronger, maintaining my speed and taking my game to the next level."