Sunday Chat with former Perrysburg standout, college football coach Clay Denstorff

Sunday Chat is a weekly feature appearing in The Blade’s print and digital platforms each Sunday.

Former Perrysburg football standout Clay Denstorff made a name for himself as a defensive lineman at Denison University where he became a two-time captain and three-time all-conference performer.

He left Denison second all-time in program history in sacks and tackles for a loss.

Denstorff, whose father Rick Denstorff played football at Western Kentucky and whose mother Lisa Donnelly Denstorff is a former University of Toledo women's tennis standout, is in his first season as the outside linebackers coach at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania.

Set to begin his first training camp as a college coach this week, The Blade recently caught up with Denstorff:

The Blade : What was your football experience like at Perrysburg?

Denstorff : I played under Matt Kregel. It was awesome, and he was great. I also played for my dad as my position coach, so I was a coach's son for about 15 years of my life. So that was a great experience as well.

The Blade : What was your recruiting process like, and how did you end up at Denison?

Denstorff : Funny enough in my recruiting process, I was only really being looked at by a few schools. It was really only between Denison and Trine. After going on a few visits to each, I ended up making my decision. I thought Denison might be able to provide me with a little more after college. Both schools were awesome at football and good in the classroom. I really had a good connection with [Denison] head coach Jack Hatem on the visit, and after meeting some of the guys and spending time there it just felt like a match.

The Blade: Do you take pride in what you were able to accomplish in your career at Denison?

Denstorff : I thought I had a pretty decent career. I put in a lot of hard work in the weight room and conditioning and doing all the stuff I needed to. While I was at school, I tried to be a great leader. We were working out anywhere from four, five, or six days a week. I wanted to be the guy other guys would look up to on and off the field. I ended up being a captain two times, and that was awesome seeing that's what people thought of me as a leader and that they kind of looked up to me.

The Blade : This area is so big on Ohio State and Michigan football. How would you describe the experience of smaller college football and the benefits of playing at a small college?

Denstorff : Trust me, if I was a few inches taller and about 30 pounds heavier and ran a little faster, I would have loved to play at a bigger school. But for guys who may be a few pounds shy or a few inches short, it's still an awesome experience. I developed some of the greatest relationships of my life from being at a small school. I still talk to about 10-15 players and friends I had at Denison every day. So you are still going through the same grind of shedding blood, sweat, and tears in the weight room and going through tough wins and tough losses. I think at a small school when you see alumni come back and they support the school, it really shows the relationships that you end up building.

The Blade : How did you end up in coaching, and was it a quick transition after you were done playing?

Denstorff : My dad coached for about 25 years in college and high school combined. While I was at Denison, I was thinking what do I want to do after college? I always knew I wanted to get into football at whatever level that was. It was a smooth transition because the head coach I am working with now, Braden Layer, graduated from Denison, so he reached out to coach Hatem. That connection sparked it, and I ended up at Allegheny. So it was a smooth transition for me to go from a great head coach to another great head coach.

The Blade : As a young coach, have you thought about the style of coach you want to be as you build your career?

Denstorff : I definitely want to be the coach who brings energy. One of my favorite football teams is the Chargers and the new head coach there is Jim Harbaugh. I'm a little bit more of an Ohio State fan, but I love Jim Harbaugh and both Harbaughs. His biggest thing is having enthusiasm unknown to mankind. That's what I want to bring to the table. And then I want to be someone the kids can look up to. I want to go into every meeting and every practice, and they know I'm prepared. I'm a young coach, and I'm not blind to the fact that I'm not going to be the best coach right now. That's OK, but as long I'm working hard and I have my stuff together for the kids, they should at least be able to look up to me and be able to say, 'Hey he's putting in the effort so I can play a little bit harder for him'.

The Blade : Your mom is in the Varsity T Hall of Fame at Toledo for women's tennis. What did you learn and pick up from her at a young age with her being the high-level athlete that she was?

Denstorff : What I learned from my mom is funny enough kind of the opposite of what I learned from my dad. My dad was intense, and he would get on you when he needed to. That's good because it creates toughness. I remember at a young age I would let it affect me when my dad would get on me. Then my mom taught me not to listen to how a coach is saying something but to listen to what they are saying. She always said if a coach is getting on you, that means they still think you can play and want you to get better. You should be scared when the coach stops talking to you. That's something I learned from my mom is more of the mental side and how to deal with yourself especially after you don't have the best performance.