The 2025 season was Clayton’s ninth year as the Assistant Coach at Emory and marked the 6th time that the Eagles qualified for the NCAA DIII Tournament in his career at Emory. Prior to the start of the 2022 season he was promoted to Associate Head Coach.
Clayton helped lead the Eagles to new heights in 2025 as Emory reached the NCAA semifinals for the first time in program history. The Eagles finished 16-2-4, tying the program record for wins, and earned their third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. Five players received All-UAA honors, highlighted by Lorenzo Avalos, who became the third straight Eagle named UAA Offensive Player of the Year. Ignacio Cubeddu earned All-America honors, becoming Emory’s first selection since 2017.
Clayton helped lead the Eagles to back-to-back UAA championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024, with the staff earning UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors in both seasons. In 2023, Emory improved from five wins to 12 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles returned to the tournament in 2024, marking their first consecutive berths since 2007–08. Six players earned All-UAA honors that season, including Ryan Winkler, who scored 10 goals and was named UAA Offensive Player of the Year.
The 2021 season was another excellent campaign for the Eagles, which saw the team host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament including a dramatic PK shootout victory of Centre College in the first round of the tournament.
Clayton rejoined the Eagles' program after spending the 2014-2016 campaigns at Oglethorpe University, where he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He helped the Stormy Petrels to an overall record of 24-20-7 during those three seasons, which included 2015 and 2016 Southern Athletic Association regular-season titles.
Schmitt's first go-around as an assistant at Emory came from June 2011 through April of 2014. During his tenure, he helped the Eagles to an overall slate of 31-20-4, which included a 2012 University Athletic
Association co-championship and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Schmitt also has been the head coach of the women's program at Holy Innocents Episcopal School in Atlanta since December of 2014, and led the team to the 2025 GHSA State Championship, winning the school's 2nd state title, and first since 2021. He has been the United Soccer Coaches Coach of the Year twice (in 2025 and 2021) as well as the SE Regional Coach of the Year in 2021. In his career as a high school coach, he has won 258 career games, including a 166-44-10 record at Holy Innocents’.
Clayton is a former goalkeeper from Mercer University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business in 2006. He also earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Georgia State University in 2008. He holds the NSCAA Premier, Advanced National, and National Diplomas, and, as well as the National Goalkeeping Diploma, and a UEFA “C” License.
Updated in September 2026
