Jordan Clark Brings Valuable Intelligence and Experience to Notre Dame
Notre Dame brought in Jordan Clark as a transfer from Arizona State to fill a specific role on their defense. It’s one he’s very familiar with.
He logged 542 coverage snaps aligned as a slot defender the last two seasons at ASU. He had new things to learn with Notre Dame’s defense, but his understanding of what is necessary to succeed there is a huge asset he’s brought with him.
“I think ultimately it’s about knowing what the integrity of the defense is and kind of going from there,” Clark said when asked about highlighting his strengths in the nickel back role. “If you have a defense where you have a ton of inside help, don’t get beat outside. You can be late to routes on the inside and things like that. Really just finding ways to play the integrity of the defense while also playing to your strengths as well.”
Clark was recruited to fill the shoes of Thomas Harper and has already established himself as someone capable of doing so. There isn’t much concern about the adjustment Clark will have to make in a new scheme because he just played in another scheme that was based on NFL concepts.
“I’d say that to my defense last year, it’s not all that different,” Clark admitted when asked to compare the previous scheme. “(Arizona State defensive coordinator) Brian Ward is an NFL guy, an NFL mind. So is Coach Golden, so a lot of the concepts and things they do are similar. It’s more here. Coach Golden definitely has a hefty bag and he likes to use all the things he can. I’d say it’s a lot, but ultimately that’s why I came here.
“I came here to progress. I came here to learn, so that’s a part of it.”
While Clark battled through injuries last fall, he still managed to be productive with nine pass breakups. Overall, he’s had 19.5 havoc plays (tackles for loss, pass breakups, interceptions, and forced fumbles) in the last two seasons, but he had zero forced fumbles. That’s something he highlighted as something he wants to improve on at Notre Dame.
“Getting the ball. I think just ball production. You see guys at practice today just trying to rip it out or punch out the ball all day. Coach Golden puts a premium on that. The ball is golden, so getting the ball back to the offense, getting the ball back to Riley Leonard…we have him here for a reason because he can play football and he scores points. So ultimately the goal is to get him the ball back and let him work.”
To call Clark a football junkie might be putting it lightly. He loves the game and watches plenty of film of other nickel defenders he’d love to emulate. Clark is a Louisiana native and at that top of his list is a former Louisiana State star defender.
“Tyrann Mathieu for sure. He’s someone I looked up to my entire life. I watch a lot of Mike Hilton. He played in Coach Golden’s the year they went to the Super Bowl (in Cincinnati). I watch a lot of him and see what he likes to do, how he plays things. (Indianapolis Colts defensive back) Kenny Moore, obviously I think is the best nickel in the NFL. I watch a good bit of him. Yeah, Minkah (Fitzpatrick) whenever they put him down there. He’s super ball savvy, so definitely a lot of guys you can pick things from and try to add to your game.”
He’s also in a unique position where he always has his Dad as a resource. His father is former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark, who won a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2011. Ryan is always available when Jordan needs him to answer questions he might have, but Ryan knows to not force the issue unless Jordan is looking for help.
“Ultimately he is there to help. If I want the help he is there to help, but I think he kind of knows that whenever someone is constantly texting you about it, asking you questions, that can get frustrating as well,” Clark acknowledged. “I think he does an awesome job of kind of distancing himself from it when he needs to and kind of allowing it to be my journey but also being an asset that a lot of people don’t have.
“So there’s an awesome balance there. I talk to him about anything that I’m not understanding, I always reach out to him because the majority of the football terminology and concepts I know I know from the way we speak to each other, so he helps.”
Ryan has transitioned after his playing career to sports broadcasting. He’s a prominent voice with ESPN’s NFL coverage and when Notre Dame had a media blitz on ESPN platforms earlier this summer, Jordan had a chance to be on television talking ball with Dad.
“Yeah, it was dope. It was like we were in the living room having an argument about something,” Clark said while smiling. “But you know what? That’s also a once in the lifetime opportunity. Not many kids have that experience, so for that to be able to get put together and for me to have that experience was amazing.”
The elder Clark has a busy schedule with his ESPN duties in addition to co-hosting The Pivot podcast, but he made time to get together with Jordan and train during the break between spring ball and returning back to Notre Dame for the summer.
“It was just a short time. He’s really busy, he does a lot of stuff. When he does have the time to kind of tap in, sharpen up my skills, and my teammates as well if they’re there, he’s always willing to do that. Kind of get some work in with Kennedy (Urlacher) and talk football and get our feet in the grass is awesome. My Dad tries to do that with us.”
Clark has learned a lot from his Dad about football and defensive back play. He’s had five years playing college football and been coached by multiple coordinators. He’s played 1,333 snaps in his career as a slot defender. He knows what qualities are most important to play the position Notre Dame brought in him to specifically play.
“Composure I would say is one and then vision,” Clark said. “You have to have awareness because you’re really asked to help in so many different areas. You’re going to be in a run fit sometimes, you’re going to have heavy pass responsibilities sometimes, and then other times you’re going to have to play man to man on a guy who has all the room in the world.
“I’d definitely say vision and awareness. Understanding of where your help is, what the call is, and having the confidence and composure to bounce back.”
Clark knows where he fits within the defense. It’s one of the reasons why he was the right player to target at what has been a key position in Al Golden’s defense at Notre Dame.
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