Recapping 2012 Commit Jeremy Clark

Ok, so Defensive Back wasn't a position of need THIS season, but it will be in the future and another guy that will go towards solidifying the Secondary is Safety Jeremy Clark out of Madisonville, KY.  Not the highest rated guy but the coaches have said they wanted taller and bigger defensive backs.  Well they certainly got that in Jeremy, as he checks in around 6'4" and just over 200 pounds.  The Big Ten is famous for having big play-making receivers that are very difficult to match up with, so the need for bigger guys in the secondary definitely makes sense.

Well first of all, let it be known that I'm a huge fan of tall defensive backs.  Too often teams that have these tall receivers give Michigan big fits (Marvin McNutt from Iowa) just to name one, but there are plenty more.  I'm not knocking the defensive backs we've had in the past or currently have because there are legends, but I think it's important to have taller guys in the secondary, if they have the abilities.  Jeremy certainly does.  He's not highly rated, but he is a great tackler and is solid in run support.  Because of his height it allows him to attack the football in the air because he doesn't have to jump as high as most guys because he's so tall.  He's not the heaviest guy as he's right around 200 pounds so putting on some weight will be key for him especially if he is to play Safety in college.  Jeremy is one of those raw guys with a lot of upside and he's got the physical tools to be a good one..  He needs to work a bit on his hip movement and his back pedal but other then that he's got great upside.  Also a big hitter and that's something nice to have especially in a Safety.



Here are the basic stats on Clark:

	ESPN	Rivals	Scout	247Sports
Height	6’2”	6’4”	6’4”	6’4”
Weight	195 lbs	205 lbs	195 lbs	205 lbs
Position	S	S	FS	S
Rating	3*	3*	3*	3*
Position Rank	#53	#37	#71	#47
National Rank	N/A	NR	N/A	NR

So to recap, with the exception of ESPN, Jeremy is listed at 6'4" and right around 205 pounds.  He's a 3* player across the board and isn't ranked nationally and is a mid-ranked guy at the Safety position.  So clearly when it comes to rankings, he's not the best player in the country.  From what I could see, they all think he's got great upside.  Jeremy has excellent closing speed and with that height if he puts on some weight he could be seriously nasty.  He's one of those guys that's an excellent tackler and isn't afraid of some contact whether it's coming up to the line of scrimmage in run support, blitzing, or out there in coverage.  Because he's so tall he literally can match up with anybody out in coverage.  He's one of the more under the radar guys and could shock some people at the next level.

I don't see Jeremy making much of an impact until year 2 or 3 in his career since Michigan is set at the Safety position and he has some developing to do.  Look for the coaches to give Jeremy the red shirt this season so they don't waste that year of eligibility, but I definitely think he can make some contributions in the future.  I think under Coach Mattison, he could turn out to be something solid, but it will take some time for him to develop and get to a level where the coaches like to see.  He was one of those solid under the radar pick-ups kind of like 2013 commit Channing Stribling, but don't underestimate or underappreciate him because he's not a 5-star recruit.  Rankings don't always mean anything and the coaches offered him for a reason.  Look for Jeremy to see the field at some point in the future, but not in 2012.