It’s no secret that Corey Clement is going to be the star of Wisconsin football next year. He’s already got four multi-touchdown games under his belt, and has a career average of seven yards per carry. That’s a higher rushing average than James White, Montee Ball and John Clay. Everyone’s waiting with bated breath to see what he will do, and that’s a lot of pressure.
So how’s Clement dealing with the pressure? He’s staying focused on the field and enjoying his many diverse interests off it.
When he’s not working out or at practice, he’s spending his time making music. Fellow running back Dare Ogunbowale talked about Clement’s aspirations as a producer.
“He’s big into music,” Ogunbowale said. “He likes to make some beats.”
Clement—or DJ JoeL, as he’s known on SoundCloud—hasn’t done as much rapping as he used to.
“I got a couple freestyles on there, but I mainly steered away from the rapping and I just started producing music,” he said.
And even though the music is, in many ways, Clement’s way of relaxing, he still takes it seriously. When I asked if anyone is ever allowed on the track with him, he said it’s rare.
“T.J. Reynard, he’s trying to make some music,” he told me. “Me and him try to collaborate sometimes, but he jokes around too much and I try to be serious.”
Clement doesn’t spend all his time producing music. Although he’s dominant on the field, his Madden skills could use some work. Former roommate Alec James said he can beat him at any video game.
“I’m better than Corey in Madden, 2K, FIFA, all of the above,” he said.
Clement begged to differ. He claimed to be top dog in the first two, and while he conceded that James could top him in FIFA, that’s only because he just started playing.
That’s pretty fair. How can he be expected to compete with one of the best FIFA players around? James told me he’s one of the top players on the team.
“I play a lot of FIFA; I’m in the top five,” James said. “Right now, I’d say T.J. Edwards is the best, Rafael [Gaglianone] is probably second best, and third best is between me and Tanner [McEvoy].”
Clement still makes FIFA close even though he’s new to the game. And in spite of woes on the pitch, he was quick to add that he was the fun one in the dorm.
“Last year, roommate-wise, I was the cool guy. They would come in my room and be like ‘Who’s this guy?’ And I’m like ‘Oh, this is my friend Alec,’” he said. “He was basically the alien on campus because he didn’t know what to do.”
James had his own problems with Clement as a roommate.
“Corey used to snore, too. In the dorms, he would drink half a bottle [of water] and just buy a new one. He was the worst roommate in the world,” he shot back.
“Oh I was the worst roommate ever? Alright, you got one,” Clement responded, but James was already halfway to the locker room.
The exchange between the two was priceless.
Despite their electronic rivalry, though, James had only high praise for Clement’s character.
“I’ve known him since we were being recruited, he’s a real good dude,” he told me. “He’s honest, he’s laid back, he’s just cool.”
Ogunbowale echoed all the same sentiments, even though Clement won’t let him rap over any of his music.
“He’s a cool dude. He likes to have fun ... he’s fun to be around,” he said.
He added that his favorite moment with Clement was about a year back, just before they hit the gym.
“One day, I’m just at home, planning to come in and work out with him,” Ogunbowale said. “He goes early and goes to the sauna and starts sending me Snapchats of him in the sauna just doing funny stuff, sweating bullets. He’s a goofy guy.”
Clement’s just another guy who plays FIFA with his friends and sends weird Snapchats. Even though you’ll see him barreling through defenders and racing up the sideline next year, it’s nice to know he’s still human.
