Fort Smith LB Andrew Clark talks Arkansas camp and his summer camp circuit

Written by Ryan Wright

In 2014 Fort Smith Southside High School released a do-everything kind of player onto opposing Arkansas teams. Then 6’2”, 205 pounds, Andrew Clark lined up at tight end on offense but made his mark on the other side of the ball playing defensive end and outside linebacker on defense.

Clark showed he was not afraid to mix it up using his raw talent to come up with 62 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries helping the Rebels to a 9-3 record. He also has a unique talent for being able to knock down passes at the line of scrimmage coming up with five pass breakups as a junior in 2014.

Several schools have shown interest in Clark including Missouri, Memphis, Duke, Northwest Missouri State, Holy Cross, Hendrix and in-state powers Arkansas and Arkansas State. In hopes of taking his recruiting interest to the next level Clark has made the one-day college camp rounds hitting the Arkansas Razorback camp on Saturday.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview I sat down with Andrew to go over how his college camp circuit has gone to date and get an update on how well he performed at the Razorbacks camp.

 

Andrew yesterday was a big day for a lot of high school players in the region attending the Arkansas camp. How did the camp go for you?

“It went well. I competed and did my best. I believe I out competed a lot of the other athletes there. Being a linebacker and going through defensive linemen drills I believe I did pretty well. They taught me a lot.”

Did you have any conversations with the coaches after the camp?

“I talked to the defensive line coach, Coach (Rory) Segrest. He said he really liked what I did and I did great things out there. Then I talked to my recruiting coach, Coach (Barry) Lunney, and he told me he’ll follow up with me and talk to Coach Segrest and see how I did.”

Leading up to the camp how has Arkansas been recruiting you?

“They’ve talked to my coach about me and came up to the school to check in on me and a couple other guys. Their coach DM’ed me saying they wanted to see me at their camp. He also said he wanted to take a closer look at me. He also said Coach B, Coach (Bret) Bielema, wanted to take a closer look at me.”

Did they give you a timeframe on when they would be back in touch with you?

“They left it open for sometime in the next week or two once they are done discussing everything.”

What other camps have you been to so far?

“I went to a combine in Tulsa. I also went to the Memphis camp. I’ve been to the Northwest Missouri camp and the Ouachita Baptist camp. I also went to the Arkansas State.”

How did the Arkansas State camp go for you?

“It didn’t go that well. I ran a bad 40-time, 4.88. I did drills with the linebackers and defensive ends at that camp. They did say they wanted to see my senior film”

How have the other camps like the Memphis camp gone for you?

“The Memphis camp went well. After the camp, I went with Jordan Barlow, they gave us and about 3-4 other kids a tour around the weight room and the facilities. I believe that went well enough. Also at the Northwest Missouri camp they gave me and Jordan Barlow a mini Junior Day visit with a few other kids the day before the camp. When the camp rolled around, that went well. I heard Jordan Barlow did well. I think I did pretty good. The coach said he wants to see my senior film.”

Of all the camps which camp do you think you performed best?

“I’d say the Arkansas camp.”

What measurables have you turned in at the various camps so far?

“I ran a 4.75 at the Arkansas camp, that was my lowest 40. I got a 32” vertical at Ouachita and a 9’2” broad jump at Arkansas State. Those were the best measurements so far.”

What did Arkansas weigh you in at for the camp?

“Arkansas got me at 6’2”, 215 pounds.”

What is your schedule like going forward after the Arkansas camp?

“Me and a few of my teammates are going to the Harding camp. We’re going to try to make the UCA and the Arkansas Tech camp. After that I start getting ready for the season.”

What other schools are showing interest in you outside of the schools we have talked about already today?

“I have a list – Duke, Northern Illinois, North Texas, and Harding, obviously. Holy Cross has shown interest and invited me to their camp. Northwestern State University invited me to their camp. Cornell invited me to their camp. Central Oklahoma invited me to their camp as a defensive lineman. Missouri has shown interest in me. Tulsa has shown interest in me as has Missouri Southern State. Northeastern State University has given me an offer.”

 

Photo credit: Andrew Clark; Andrew Clark and safety Jace McCrea (black shorts).

Photo credit: Andrew Clark; Andrew Clark and linebacker Hunter Pogue (red shorts).