University of Toledo sophomore cornerback Justin Clark is getting valuable playing time early in his career for the Rockets.
Clark, from West Bloomfield, Mich., played in all 14 games during his redshirt freshman season in 2017. Playing behind Trevon Mathis and Ka’dar Hollman, Clark made the most of his time and recorded two interceptions.
Going into Thursday’s game at Western Michigan, Clark had 24 tackles this year along with three pass breakups and an interception. He has taken over for Mathis as the starter, beginning every game opposite Hollman.
Getting valuable time on the field early in his career has Clark already looking forward to when he can mentor younger players based on his experience.
“The experience is tremendous,” Clark said. “Having experience going forward is going to help me along. Especially being able to help the young guys coming up and being able to coach them through those experiences is really important.”
Clark has learned a lot from playing beside Hollman, who worked his way from a walk-on to a senior leader in the cornerbacks group.
“Ka’dar is great,” Clark said. “We talk a lot. I always ask questions and I want to know everything. It’s good to have a guy like that, and I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s just always working. He started from the ground up and worked his way up to where he is now. I look up to the guy and he’s a tremendous leader.”
With cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat in his second season, Clark has taken advantage of some of the vast football experience owned by his position coach as Poteat spent 10 seasons as a cornerback in the NFL after a standout college career at Pittsburgh.
“Coach Poteat has been a great coach,” Clark said. “Every week he has a good game plan for us. He puts in spots where we can make plays. He just tells us to always be ready. He’s really done a good job staying on me and making sure I handle what I need to handle.”
It was great,” Clark said. Give all the credit to the coaches for putting me in the right spot to make a play. The defensive line got pressure on the quarterback and allowed him to feel the pressure and put the ball in a situation where he didn't want to throw it. I’m just grateful.
After appearing in every game as a backup last season, Clark knew a bigger role awaited him after Mathis’ graduation. It’s fair to say so far this season, Clark has delivered in his new role.
“I tried not to put too much pressure on myself,” Clark said. “I just wanted to go out and play football. I’ve been playing since I was 7 years old. It’s not really where I look at it and say, ‘This is all or nothing.’ I just really try to slow things down and play my game and let the chips fall where they may.”
First Published October 25, 2018, 6:12 p.m.
