by Bill Seals
It’s Iowa State and a group of six schools from the MAC for a Chicagoland defensive back who just returned from his third unofficial visit to Ames this past week.
Oswego three-star junior safety Justin Clark said he’s been hearing from the Cyclones since his junior campaign, and that interest has steadily increased.
“They started talking to me right after football season this year, probably around the fall,” said Clark. “They invited me to one of their junior days, which was over the winter and I was there January 27th. When I was down there, Coach (Matt) Campbell offered me a scholarship. I’ve been down there around three times.
“I just went down there again last week over my spring break. I got there around 10 in the morning and met with Coach (Jon) Heacock, my position coach. After that, we got a tour of the training room and then an academic presentation. We got lunch and then met with Coach Campbell. Finally, me, my mom and dad got to watch some of the indoor practice. That was a cool experience.”
The 6-foot-0, 180-pound Clark, who has a 5.5 Rivals rating, also claims G5 offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Ohio and Toledo.
Out of that entire list, Clark said he feels the tightest connection with the staff at ISU.
“I have a very good relationship with all the coaches there,” he said. “Their coaches I have the strongest bond with out of all the schools that have been talking to me. They do a good job of checking up with me. Coach (Alex) Golesh and Coach Campbell check up on me. I’m pretty much welcome to go down there whenever I want to. My brother is a student there, too.”
Clark’s most recent visit to Ames was the first for his mother, and he says Campbell made sure to make her feel at home.
“He wanted to talk to me again and wanted to meet her and she loves him,” Clark said. “He asked if we had any questions for him. The only thing I remember us talking about was redshirting and what his policy is on redshirting. It was about a four- or five-minute conversation. It seems like every time I got down there I like the program more and more. They do a very good job of selling their program.”
During his conversations with Campbell and other coaches on the staff, one common theme has come up and Clark said that’s his versatility.
“They love how I play multiple positions,” he said. “I’m not just a safety. I can play receiver, quarterback, running back and also return punts. They love how I punt return, because it’s rare these days to have a DB knowing how to catch punts and have good ball skills. I used to be a baseball guy, so that’s helped me returning kicks and judging where the ball is going to land. They really like that about me.”
Clark said he is targeting a summer decision.
It’s Iowa State and a group of six schools from the MAC for a Chicagoland defensive back who just returned from his third unofficial visit to Ames this past week.
Oswego three-star junior safety Justin Clark said he’s been hearing from the Cyclones since his junior campaign, and that interest has steadily increased.
“They started talking to me right after football season this year, probably around the fall,” said Clark. “They invited me to one of their junior days, which was over the winter and I was there January 27th. When I was down there, Coach (Matt) Campbell offered me a scholarship. I’ve been down there around three times.
“I just went down there again last week over my spring break. I got there around 10 in the morning and met with Coach (Jon) Heacock, my position coach. After that, we got a tour of the training room and then an academic presentation. We got lunch and then met with Coach Campbell. Finally, me, my mom and dad got to watch some of the indoor practice. That was a cool experience.”
The 6-foot-0, 180-pound Clark, who has a 5.5 Rivals rating, also claims G5 offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Ohio and Toledo.
Out of that entire list, Clark said he feels the tightest connection with the staff at ISU.
“I have a very good relationship with all the coaches there,” he said. “Their coaches I have the strongest bond with out of all the schools that have been talking to me. They do a good job of checking up with me. Coach (Alex) Golesh and Coach Campbell check up on me. I’m pretty much welcome to go down there whenever I want to. My brother is a student there, too.”
Clark’s most recent visit to Ames was the first for his mother, and he says Campbell made sure to make her feel at home.
“He wanted to talk to me again and wanted to meet her and she loves him,” Clark said. “He asked if we had any questions for him. The only thing I remember us talking about was redshirting and what his policy is on redshirting. It was about a four- or five-minute conversation. It seems like every time I got down there I like the program more and more. They do a very good job of selling their program.”
During his conversations with Campbell and other coaches on the staff, one common theme has come up and Clark said that’s his versatility.
“They love how I play multiple positions,” he said. “I’m not just a safety. I can play receiver, quarterback, running back and also return punts. They love how I punt return, because it’s rare these days to have a DB knowing how to catch punts and have good ball skills. I used to be a baseball guy, so that’s helped me returning kicks and judging where the ball is going to land. They really like that about me.”
Clark said he is targeting a summer decision.
