Lake Brantley fires head football coach Skip Clayton after just 3 seasons

Clayton was part of family coaching dynasty that dates to the mid-1980s

Lake Brantley head football coach Skip Clayton was relieved of his coaching duties after going 9-22 in three seasons. / UCF Sports

After nearly 40 years, the Clayton football coaching dynasty at Lake Brantley High School has come to an end.

Lake Brantley’s Skip Clayton, the son of the late legendary coach George Clayton who helped to put the Patriots on the map, has been fired as head coach, according to a story in The Orlando Sentinel.

SB Live was able to independently confirm the firing, which happened less than two weeks since the team’s regular-season finale loss to state power Lake Mary, 52-12. The Rams finished the season with a 3-7 record, 0-3 in Class 7A, District 3.

“The principal (Brian Blasewitz) says he wants to go in a different direction,” Skip Clayton told The Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday. 

In three seasons as head coach at the Seminole County school, Skip Clayton compiled a 9-22 record with just one playoff appearance (2022). His teams struggled mightily against some of the toughest district opponents in Florida, going 1-10 in three years.

Lake Brantley competed in Class 4 Metro, District 2 in 2022-2023, playing a brutal schedule that included Apopka, Seminole, Lake Mary and Evans. This year, the Patriots went winless (0-3) in 7A-3, falling to Lake Mary, Seminole and Hagerty.

LBHS also was hurt by transfers, losing multiple players to Lake Mary this season. Lake Mary won the district and was 9-2 entering its Class 7A, Region 1 semifinal against Spruce Creek on Friday night.

Upon taking the head coaching job in 2022, Skip followed in the footsteps of George Clayton, who compiled an impressive 148-61 record in 19 seasons (1996-2015, taking one year off in 2013). The football stadium was often packed during his tenure.

George Clayton took the Patriots to the playoffs 15 times, finishing as state runner-up in 2006. Lake Brantley went unbeaten in the regular season three times (1998, 2011, 2015) under his watch.

All told, George Clayton served on a Lake Brantley football staff for 29 years. He passed away in May of 2023 at 74. He was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019, per a story last year in The Orlando Sentinel.

Skip Clayton, a 1996 LBHS graduate, served under his father and his predecessor, Dave Delfiacco, in one capacity or another for Lake Brantley football since 2003. Skip Clayton was offensive coordinator for six seasons (2016-2021) under Delfiacco before taking over the head job in 2022, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

“You can’t really mention Brantley football without talking about the legacy and impact the Claytons had on the program,” said LBHS defensive coordinator Mike Mitchell.

The Claytons were famous for running their triple-option offense at LBHS, often racking up huge statistics behind some strong offensive lines and talented backs. With the dismissal of Skip Clayton, the Patriots may be looking at a whole-new scheme in 2025.

“We’re going to open it up … get it out there and try to get the best qualified candidate we can,” LBHS athletic director Eric Entrekin told The Orlando Sentinel. “We want to get Lake Brantley football back to where it used to be.

“We need a change,” Entrekin said. “We’re looking for somebody to come in and bring the excitement back to Lake Brantley football.”