10. CLAYTON TUNE | Houston 6024 | 220 lbs. | 5SR Carrollton, Texas (Hebron) 3/23/1999 (age 24.09) #3 BACKGROUND: John “Clayton” Tune, the youngest child in his family, grew up in Celina, where he started playing quarterback at the pee-wee level. When Tune was age 7, his older brother (Nathan) led Celina High School to an undefeated 16-0 season and the 2005 state championship. Nathan went on to play at North Texas (2006-10), then was a high school assistant after his playing days and allowed Clayton to be a ball boy and practice with older players when he was in middle school. As an eighth grader at McMath Middle School in Denton, Clayton Tune led the team to a championship. He enrolled at Denton Ryan High School, a successful program in North Texas, where he was expected to compete for the starting job with another fellow freshman (Spencer Sanders, who would go on to play at Oklahoma State). However, Tune broke both of his wrists in a freak basketball accident prior to the 2014 season and Sanders was the clear starter. The coaches wanted to shift Tune to safety, but the family decided to move to nearby Carrollton, where Tune enrolled at Hebron High School and became the starting quarterback as a sophomore, posting 1,825 passing yards and 24 total touchdowns. As a junior, he was named District Player of the Year with 2,445 passing yards, 512 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns (22 passing, 8 rushing). As a senior, Tune led Hebron to the playoffs for the third straight year (they lost to Allen, the eventual 2017 state champions) and finished with 2,416 passing yards, 368 rushing yards and 33 total touchdowns (23 passing, nine rushing, one kickoff return). He finished his prep career with 6,686 passing yards, 1,074 rushing yards and 86 total touchdowns (66 passing, 20 rushing). Tune also ran track as a sophomore (hurdles and jumps). A three-star recruit, Tune was the No. 35 pro-style quarterback in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 115 recruit in Texas (No. 6 QB in the state; Spencer Sanders was No. 1). He initially committed to Kansas after his junior season but backed out eight months later, amid his senior year, when he picked up offers from Houston, Ole Miss and UCF. Tune still considered Kansas but signed with the Cougars and head coach Major Applewhite and enrolled early in January 2018. He was expecting to redshirt in 2018 but was forced onto the field after starter D’Eriq King suffered a serious knee injury. Tune entered the 2019 season as the backup, but he stepped into the starting role after four games when King elected to sit out the rest of the season and take a redshirt. He took advantage of the extra year of eligibility because of COVID and returned for a fifth season in 2022. His father (Steve) is a former professional Motocross driver. Tune graduated with his degree in business administration in finance. He initially accepted an invitation to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl before flipping to the Senior Bowl. YEAR (GP/GS) CP-ATT CP% YDS TD INT CAR YDS AVG TD NOTES 2018: (5/2) 59-117 50.4 795 8 2 41 56 1.4 1 Burned his redshirt for the final two games 2019: (7/7) 106-179 59.2 1,533 11 9 66 244 3.7 2 Started final 7 games after starter D’Eriq King decided to sit out and redshirt 2020: (8/8) 170-285 59.6 2,048 15 10 72 253 3.5 5 Team captain 2021: (14/14) 287-421 68.2 3,546 30 10 105 154 1.5 2 Team captain 2022: (13/13) 334-496 67.3 4,074 40 10 128 546 4.3 5 First team All-AAC; Team captain Total: (47/44) 956-1,498 63.8 11,996 104 41 412 1,253 3.0 15 HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP COMBINE 6024 220 31 3/8 9 3/8 75 5/8 4.64 2.63 1.55 37 1/2 10’2” 4.25 6.89 - PRO DAY 6021 216 31 1/2 9 1/4 75 3/4 - - - - - - - - STRENGTHS: Good-sized athlete and operates well on the move (led all quarterbacks with a 6.89 three-cone at the combine), both inside and outside of the pocket … balanced passer with NFL-worthy accuracy, regardless of platform … three-quarter delivery with outstanding placement on deep outs … functional arm strength … instinctive pocket presence to slide, climb and work around the noise … trusts his internal clock and has a feel for buying just enough time for routes to come open … comfortable picking up first downs with his feet (35 first downs as a runner in 2022) … three-time team captain, as voted by his teammates, and has earned respect from his peers (Houston assistant coach: “It makes it easy when your best player is also your hardest worker – that’s him.”) … takes the game very seriously with CONTENTS [13] developed physical and mental toughness (went through the ringer in college and battled adversity) … finished his career No. 2 in school history (behind Case Keenum) in passing touchdowns (104) and total touchdowns (119). WEAKNESSES: Too many low-percentage decisions on his film … doesn’t shy from tossing up 50-50 balls to see what happens and trusts his receivers (or his arm) too much … eye discipline is not a strength, bird-dogging his desired read and telegraphing throws … doesn’t have high-level arm power and his passes lose noticeable life when he attempts to make off-balance attempts … will run into pressure at times in the pocket … his field vision and read timing stand to improve … stayed durable in college but had a few issues in high school, including a right leg injury during the playoffs as a junior (November 2016). SUMMARY: A four-year starter at Houston, Tune showed clear development over his time in college and thrived in Dana Holgorsen’s version of the Air Raid offense. Tune returned for a fifth season in 2022 and set the AAC record with 40 passing touchdowns, third-most in the FBS (behind Caleb Williams and C.J. Stroud). With his mental fortitude and clutch gene, Tune consistently played his best late in games and executed regardless of the moment. Although he forces throws at times, especially when going big-play hunting, he plays well in rhythm and trusts his internal clock to know when to bail or get the ball out. Overall, Tune will face a learning curve as his decision-making and eye discipline translate to the pro game, but he is a natural passer with functional mobility, accuracy and intangibles worthy of the NFL game. He has the necessary tools to become a backup and spot starter at the next level