Transfer Jordan Clark Brings Tenacity And Intelligence On The Back End For Notre Dame

Breaking down how former Arizona State defensive back Jordan Clark fits with Notre Dame

As Notre Dame is busy filling out the roster for the 2024 season, they were hosts to two talented potential transfers over the weekend. One was Arizona State defensive back Jordan Clark, who is the son of former Pittsburgh Steeler standout and now ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark.

The former Sun Devil defender was able to visit this past weekend because he is a graduate transfer, so guidelines are off the table. Clark brings an intriguing background to the table, including playing a couple of positions while in Tempe.

Here is what Clark brings to the table on film, with some expectations for what the Irish program can expect.

Height/Weight: 5-10, 185
Hometown/High School: Baton Rouge, Louis./University Lab

Eligibility Remaining: 1 season

Clark was a part of Arizona State’s 2019 class, which means he will be a sixth-year player in 2024.

CAREER STATS

Clark has been part of the Arizona State rotation for a few seasons, including starting the last two seasons. Here is a look at his production for the Sun Devils.

2023: 50 total tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 9 pass breakups
2022: 47 total tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 Interceptions, 4 pass breakups, 1 touchdown
2021: 21 total tackles, 1 TFLs, 1 interceptions, 2 pass breakups
2020: 16 total tackles, 1 TFLs, 2 pass breakups
2019: 5 total tackles

Career Totals: 139 total tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 3 interceptions, 17 pass breakups, 1 touchdown

MAN COVERAGE SKILLS

Playing mostly as a nickelback, Clark is asked to do a lot of work from the slot. From a talent perspective, he is a smaller body but brings good overall athleticism. The straight line speed is good, and the short area quickness and twitch is very good for Clark. The latter allows him to be a nice performer when pressed into man responsibilities.

Clark’s short area quickness does a really nice job to mirror and match in man coverage. Quicker slot receivers do not give him much issue, having the athleticism to stay in phase well. Size can be an issue for Clark at times, with the propensity to get boxed out and out leveraged for the football.

Overall, Clark brings really nice man skills to the table. He is comfortable, scrappy and patient in coverage. You can tell the experience has really helped the game slow down for Clark.

ZONE COVERAGE SKILLS

The instincts that Clark plays with are tremendous. He has great eyes in coverage and clearly has an advanced understanding for spacing and where opposing offenses are trying to attack him. This translates incredibly well to zone coverage, which is predicated on being proactive.

When feels and sees where offenses are trying to attack, Clark has the talent to close down windows and make plays. His eyes are consistent and you can tell that Clark really trusts what he sees. Zone coverage may be Clark’s biggest strong suit, there his lack of size doesn’t play as big of a role. His tenacious style really parlays incredibly well in that area.

RUN SUPPORT

Clark’s impact in run support may be the biggest surprise when watching him on film. When you see his size, you may have a quick assumption that Clark would struggle in that area. In reality, that just isn’t true.

Clark is a tenacious run fitter who excels as a slot and when fitted inside at safety as well. He comes to balance well in the run game, exploding to the football and doing a good job to finish plays. Despite a smaller tackle radius, Clark doesn’t miss many tackles. He takes his duties against the run seriously, generally takes good angles and is an asset in the run game.

VERSATILITY

Clark plays mostly nickelback in the Arizona State defense, which is where he does project best moving forward. His lack of size isn’t as big of an issue inside. With Clark’s combination of man coverage, feel for the game and tackling ability, the slot is a great fit.

There have also been some reps of Clark playing inside. His short striding style doesn’t allow him to have a ton of range on the backend but his instincts are still on full display working inside. He shows good eye discipline against the pass, and can really fit well against the run. Clark has the ability to play reps at both positions on the college level.

NOTRE DAME FIT

In Notre Dame’s system, Clark feels to be the best fit at the nickelback position that Thomas Harper will be vacating this offseason. It is a very important position for the Irish, especially working with more and more spread oriented offenses on a yearly schedule.

As a true safety, Clark would project best as a field safety who can get rotated down more often. While attacking the screen game and in working inside-out in run support, Clark’s talents are best highlighted. He has enough impact in this role to give some reps when needed but nickel does appear to be his ideal home. 

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2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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