2025 Season ending interview with Caeleb Layton from Nelsonville-York

 

Name: Caeleb Layton (aka Smiles)

School/town: Nelsonville-York in Nelsonville

Positions played: defensive tackle, defensive end, offensive guard, and offensive tackle

Class of 2026

Height and Weight: 6'2", 215 lbs.

Jersey Number: 73

Awards won or earned: Academic Athlete 2022,

TVC All District x2, All TVC x3,

3rd & 1st Team All-State, All

TVC Defensive MVP 2025, MOV2GO Defensive Player of the Year 2025

HUDL LINK: video/3/19218978/695c4c064a6128ad4fca916f

Other sports played:

Basketball, Track, and Archery

Please post something from last season that sticks out to you. It can be from a game, practice, or something funny on the bus ride to or from the game. Any moment that sticks out to you.

Well, playing against Logan this year was definitely interesting. I had to become number 76 temporarily since they couldn't seem to keep their hands off of me and ripped my jersey, so I had to change. That was a new experience.

What was the biggest lesson that you learned from playing high school football?

I would say that you don't always need to be in a leadership position to make a difference. Perseverance and determination in reaching personal goals can also inspire others around you to also have the same values. Those traits can make you or a team better.

What were your feelings as you walked off of the field for the last time as a member of the Nelsonville-York football team?

This was the best season of my high school career. I wish that I was able to just stay on the field with my team and play football. Always having the feeling of just one more game. Just one more.

What are you going to miss the most from playing high school football?

I'm going to miss my teammates that I have played with over the years. Some of them I have played with for a decade. More than half my life with a family that bonded over the great sport of football.

Who was the best player that you faced in a game, as well as the team he was on?

Columbus Academy's right offensive tackle gave me some challenges this year. I don't know his name, but I had to work a little more to move him, so I liked the fact I got to flex some muscles. Lol. The team itself was very well-disciplined, and they gave it their all until the very end. I admire their drive and sportsmanship.

What was your biggest moment as a high school football player?

I would say that my biggest moment would have to be going to Dallas, Texas, and playing in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl at the Dallas Cowboys field while representing the East Coast and winning the game! The experience was educational, and the win was just icing on the cake. Not many high schoolers get to say that.

Now that your high school football career is over, is there anything you wish you would have done differently as far as preparing yourself for football?

I would say that I wish I was more confident in myself. I am my hardest critic, and I didn't feel that I did enough or believe that I was as good as everyone said. My hard work paid off, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had had the confidence I did my senior year for my whole high school career.

Of all the wins you were part of, which one meant the most?

I loved all of the games we won. You get to gloss over the mistakes after a win, because, you know, at least you won. What meant more to me was when we lost. You learn more from them. You have to have learned how to lose and rebuild from that. The Bell Air loss my freshman year in playoffs was the most memorable. It was the game that I learned about myself and what I was capable of playing. The standards that I have for myself were met, and even though we lost, I felt good in my position to move forward and grow. The next year we beat Bell Air!

Which loss stung the most?

Wheelersburg was definitely the hardest loss for me. To know it was such an important game made it hurt to lose, but for it to be the final game for our team made it that much harder to take. The last time to play with my teammates and to see the lights in Nelsonville-York gear was heartbreaking.

If you are invited to play in any of the all-star games, will you? Explain

If I am ever invited to play football, I am going to take it. I love being on the field in my position hunting down the ball. It's a drive that never goes away. I have done it for 10 years, and I would gladly do it for 10 more if given the chance.

Do you feel that the transfer portal in college football has made it harder for high school players to get recruited?

I would say that opening the portal has made it so that coaches have a bigger pool to choose from, which can make it hard for high schoolers. But a new athlete just coming into the game has the talent and skills a coach needs. I feel that coaches will still look at high school athletes. Because coaches know they will have four years to give to their program and be able to mold them and help them grow to benefit the team they join instead of one or two years with the transfer.

Would you share with the readers some of the schools that have recruited you?

At this time, we got into the recruiting game late due to some unfortunate miscommunication, so there has not been a lot of activity to date.

What was it like playing in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl at AT&T Stadium?

It was definitely eye-opening. At first I kind of felt small. I have always been small in my position as a defensive lineman, so to go there and see the competition was a little intimidating. I did prove to myself that even though I might look smaller than expected, I was a force to be reckoned with. It was a big opportunity to see things at a bigger level and to experience a high-intensity environment with new challenges. I got to learn new techniques and skills from some amazing coaches in just a short time frame. And to play on one of the biggest stages was never in my dreams, but it is so cool to be able to say that I did it—I was there!

Who are your role models?

Jesus is number one always. I will never be him, but I strive to do what he asked of me. Do right even if no one else is, and show love to everyone.

What is your favorite type of music?

I don't tend to have a favorite type. I just like to listen to what speaks to me. If I have to say a type, it would probably fall under alternative and old-school hip-hop.

What is a style or fad that your generation has that you do not get or understand?

I know that some people think they are comfortable, but I never understood baggy clothes. I am a simple person. Things fit slightly loose on me. More of a fitted style of shirt and flexible pants. Not all the extra material that adds on extra weight, makes you look unproportioned, and moves in ways that don't match with my movements. Is it really hard to just have clothes that fit? Lol. Not too snug. Not too big. The Goldilocks effect: everything is just right.

 

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