Jordan Clark Is All-In On Notre Dame Experience

Defensive back Jordan Clark has only been on campus for a month, but he already sounds like a Notre Dame man through and through. After spending his first five college football seasons in Arizona State’s secondary, Clark transferred to Notre Dame this offseason to use his sixth and final season of college eligibility.

Clark, the son of former LSU Tiger and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Ryan Clark, is one of a growing number of sons of former NFL players who have migrated to South Bend under Irish head coach Marcus Freeman’s watch. The move from the desert sun to the home of the golden dome was natural to Clark.

"This is the school that all of our dads grew up watching,” Clark said when asked what draws the sons of NFL veterans to Notre Dame. "This place is the mecca of college football, and I think anybody who’s played football at a high level outside of the brand, they walk into the building and see the attention to detail, they see (defensive coordinator) Coach (Al) Golden’s ball disruption chart, they see how involved Freeman is with his players.

"I know I can speak personally,” Clark continued. "My dad was in love with Notre Dame. As soon as I told him I was interested in coming here, he sent me a picture of him in his pee-wee ball uniform because they were Irish themed. As soon as I got the opportunity, I jumped on it. We were super excited.”

Clark visited Notre Dame in December after entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal. He says schools like Oregon, Florida State and Iowa State contacted him as well, but he quickly became one of the first portal commitments to the Irish after taking the guided tour with Irish Director of Recruiting Chad Bowden.

"Chad’s a monster, man,” Clark said with a smile. "He shows you what this place is about in a very short time. Walking into the stadium, walking around the Gug, meeting people. Ultimately, that’s what it is, the people. Everybody’s so down to earth and everyone’s really committed to winning football games. I think the people on those visits were the right kind of people who were good people and want to win football games. It all just aligned.”

It may have helped Notre Dame’s case that Clark has two old friends who were already playing for Notre Dame’s defense - linebacker Jaiden Ausberry and cornerback Benjamin Morrison. He was able to pick their brains about Notre Dame and the coaching staff as well.

"Jaiden and Ben Morrison – I’ve known Ben since I was in preschool,” Clark remarked. "Whenever I was getting ready to come out here, I reached out to those guys because they’re going to keep it real. They know what it’s really like to be here, and they both just spoke so highly of their experiences. Not just from the football side of it, but being on campus, meeting people, making friends and everything South Bend has to offer. It’s something I definitely wanted to be a part of.”