2010 (Senior): Played and started all 13 games at defensive end ... Awarded the I-BELIEVE Key Contributor award at the annual postseason banquet ... Had 23 tackles, four sacks, four TFLs, eight QB hurries, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries ... Played in the NFLPA All-Star game in San Antonio following the season ... Tallied three tackles and a sack in Texas Bowl win over Baylor ... Posted two tackles and blocked a PAT at Fresno State ... Recorded two tackles, one hurry, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in win over Northwestern ... Had two tackles, one hurry and a half-sack against Minnesota ... Posted five tackles, a sack and his first career fumble recovery at Michigan ... Blocked the first punt of his career and tallied two tackles and a sack in victory over Purdue ... Had a career-best three QB hurries in win over Indiana ... Recorded first QB sack and TFL of the season against Ohio State ... Lindy's preseason second team All-Big Ten ... Athlon Sports preseason third team All-Big Ten ... Preseason fourth-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele's College Football Preview.
2009 (Junior): Earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors ... Played in all 12 games, starting six ... Posted one tackle at No. 5 Cincinnati ... Had a career-best seven tackles, including a career-high four quarterback sacks in win over Minnesota ... His four sacks rank No. 2 in the Illinois record book for a single game and third for single-game tackles for loss ... Recorded three tackles, including 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in win over Michigan ... Had two solo tackles at Purdue ... Made second start at defensive end at Indiana ...Recorded three tackles, including 0.5 TFL vs. Michigan State ... Recorded four tackles, including one for loss and a career-best two quarterback hurries against Penn State ... Had three tackles, including two tackles for loss against Ohio State ... Posted four tackles, including 0.5 TFL and a forced fumble against Illinois State ... Recorded three tackles, including one for loss, in the season opener against Missouri ... Earned the Faculty Award for exemplary leadership in community, classroom and on field for the 2009-10 academic year.
2008 (Sophomore): Played in all 12 games, primarily on special teams ... Posted one tackle against Northwestern in the season finale ... Had a career game against Indiana, recording six tackles (three solos) and the first QB?sack of his career ... Assisted on a tackle against both WMU and Minnesota ... Saw action in each of the first five games of the season but did not record any statistics.
2007 (RS Freshman): Played in five games, seeing 18 snaps primarily on kickoff coverage.
2006 (Freshman): Played in three games before suffering a shoulder injury, which sidelined him for the rest of the season ... Did not record any statistics ... Granted a medical hardship waiver.
High School: Honorable-mention All-Metro ... All-Prince George County ... All-Prince George 4A League ... Selected for the Rivals.com Dream Team Defense Second Team ... Played outside linebacker in high school and led team in tackles and sacks ... High school coach was Greg Hill ... Also won letters in basketball and track ... Chose Illinois over Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse, Connecticut, Akron and Kent State.
Personal: Full given name is Clay Kriston Eversley Nurse ... Born Aug. 1, 1988 ... Son of Marcia Leitch and Charles Nurse ... Has one brother and one sister ... Played only two years of high school football after immigrating from Georgetown, Guyana, at the age of 15 ... Played cricket, soccer and basketball while attending Queen's College High School in Guyana ...Majored in kinesiology ... Plans to be a physical therapist after a professional career in football.
Nurse's Career Highs:
Tackles: 7 at Minnesota, 11/7/09
Solos: 5 at Minnesota, 11/7/09
TFL: 4 at Minnesota, 11/7/09
QB Sacks: 4 at Minnesota, 11/7/09
Fumble Recovery: 1, twice (last time vs. Northwestern, 11/20/10)
QB Hurries: 3 vs. Indiana, 10/23/10
Blocked Punt: 1 vs. Purdue, 10/30/10
Blocked PAT: 1 at Fresno State, 12/3/10
Nurse's Statistics:
| Season Totals | | Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Int | | pass | blkd | PAT | PAT | | |
| Year | | solo | ast | total | tfl | yds | no. | yds | ff | fr | yds | no. | yds | qbh | brup | kick | kicks | rush | rcv | saf | pts |
| 2006 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | | 3 | 6 | 9 | 1.0 | 5 | 1.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | | 19 | 12 | 31 | 10.5 | 54 | 5.5 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | | 6 | 17 | 23 | 4 | 26 | 4 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | | 28 | 35 | 63 | 15.5 | 85 | 10.5 | 68 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Nurse's Game-By-Game Statistics 
(updated 5/20/11)
