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The thump-thump-thump of Lady Gaga's music kept Adrian Clayborn up longer then he wanted on New Year's Eve.
Hey, when your Orange Bowl lodging happens to be a few stories above South Florida's flashiest New Year's party, some spillover can't be avoided.
``It was pretty loud,'' Iowa's defensive end said Friday morning. ``It had me up most of the night.''
With that one exception, though, Clayborn's bowl trip - No. 10 Iowa faces No. 9 Georgia Tech on Tuesday - has brought just what he wanted: Quiet.
No phone calls from prospective agents. No reporters and well-wishers badgering him about next year. Ever since letting it be known that he would put the NFL on hold for another year, Iowa's breakout defender has enjoyed his peace.
``I'm glad all that stuff can give me a break for a couple of months,'' Clayborn said.
The Missouri native had been projected as a possible second- or third-round pick, with the chance to raise his stock in the combine.
But despite a season of highlight plays, huge stats and All-Big Ten recognition, Clayborn feels he needs more than one standout year before making the jump.
``My sophomore year wasn't that great,'' he said. ``This year was pretty good, but I figure getting another year under my belt before the NFL would be more beneficial.''
Clayborn is the seventh Iowa defensive lineman to earn All-Big Ten honors during coach Kirk Ferentz's decade in Iowa City. Five of them - Matt Roth, Jonathan Babineaux, Kenny Iwebema, Aaron Kampman and Colin Cole - now play on Sundays.
``When you're talking about the defensive linemen we've had here, you've got to mention Clayborn as one of them,'' defensive coordinator Norm Parker told reporters back in Iowa City. ``I'm not saying he's any better than any of them, but his name has to be in the conversation.''
Reminded Friday of Parker's praise, Clayborn just shook his head.
``It's just an honor to be compared with those guys already in the NFL that are doing great,'' he said. ``But that just means I have to step up my game a little bit more and work hard. Being in that class isn't easy.''
It'll take some effort to top the numbers Clayborn has put up as a junior. His 18 tackles for losses was more than double his sophomore total and finished third among Big Ten defenders. When it came to chasing down quarterbacks, he went from two sacks to 9 1/2.
Defensive tackle Christian Ballard suggested that one could sense back in August workouts that Clayborn was on the verge of something special.
``When you looked at the film in camp, he was just getting to the ball every single play,'' Ballard said. ``He was just making a statement that he was ready for this. He was ready to be the playmaker he is, and he wasn't going to let anybody stop him.''
Clayborn made himself known on a national stage with what may be the Hawkeyes' signature play from the 2009 season.
Swooping in on Penn State punter Jeremy Boone, Clayborn blocked the kick, scooped it up and rumbled 53 yards for the go-ahead points in the fourth quarter.
``What a huge play by an excellent football player,'' Ferentz said.
``He's just a great role model, gives great effort and plays with good toughness out there. Guys feed off that.''
Ballard calls Clayborn ``the general'' of the defensive line, crediting his teammate as a steadying influence in tough times. Four of Iowa's 10 wins came by a touchdown or less.
``No matter what's going on, he never gets flustered,'' Ballard said. ``Whether we're down or up, he stays calm. He's always in tune to what's going to be called, what kind of stunts we're going to be running.''
NFL scouts certainly were intrigued, as was a long parade of agents. But something about the process made Clayborn uncomfortable.
``I was thinking about it every day,'' he said with a sense of exasperation. ``It was a drain on me during finals week, going through school and practice. It was just very stressful.''
So Clayborn told the NFL to wait a year. And now all he has to worry about is that Georgia Tech option. In comparison, he knows which he prefers.
``It's going to be a challenge,'' he said of the Yellow Jackets, ``but I'm up for it.''
