FRISCO, TEXAS — Notre Dame cornerback Jordan Clark is no stranger to Pittsburgh. He grew up there while his father, Ryan Clark, played safety alongside Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu. He visited the locker room as a kid. He played soccer for the Riverhounds. And Pittsburgh fans who have followed Ryan Clark in his post-NFL career have likely heard about Jordan’s journey from his proud father.
Soccer was Jordan’s first love. After the family moved to Baton Rouge, he added football. Eventually, he had to choose which sport would be his focus, and football won. In some ways, it was a business decision. He knew he would have more opportunities for scholarships and a bigger payday down the road.
“Football is everything in Louisiana, and I had a great deal of love for it,” he tells me in an interview at this year’s Shrine Bowl.
While his father was a strong presence in his life, he was also committed to the demands of an NFL career, leaving his mom as the bedrock of support.
“My Mom is my everything. My Mom was the one who brought me to every single practice. My mom was the one who was in the stands at every single game. She’s my number one supporter. Anytime there’s a big decision that needs to be made, or I’m going through something, she’s the first person I call. Yeah. She’s my sun, my moon, she’s my reason.”
His college career began at Arizona State, where he spent five years. His primary position was cornerback, but he filled in at both strong and free safety over the years. When asked if his position choice was made to differentiate himself from his father, he said his skillset was more perfect for corner than safety. Then he laughed, admitting that he “always wanted to beat my dad, always wanted to beat my Uncle Troy, so I’m sure if I was able to pick when I was younger, I would have picked safety.”
After the 2023 season, Clark entered the transfer portal and made the move to Notre Dame. He felt that working with the coaches at Notre Dame would be invaluable in helping him grow as a player. In just one year, he believes their insight and knowledge have improved his game:
“Just the overall understanding of concepts and defense as a whole. I was exposed to different defensive ideologies and philosophies, different calls, middle field, open bracket coverages that I had never seen before. A lot of 3D two-under stuff that I hadn’t got a chance to do a whole bunch of. So just overall concept and being exposed to different things, different types of coaching, different techniques of [defensive backs] Coach Mickens. He’s so well rounded and well versed in coaching.”
It was certainly a successful season, both for Clark and the team. While he wasn’t targeted often, he allowed only 26 receptions and a single touchdown. He logged one interception against Florida State:
Clark also had key pass defenses on third down in the playoff games against both Georgia and Penn State.
Notre Dame made it all the way to the National Championship. Despite a strong second-half rally, the Fighting Irish lost to Ohio State. Clark exited the game in the third quarter due to injury and did not return.
Jordan’s father experienced both a Super Bowl victory and a Super Bowl loss. Ryan Clark has talked on several occasions about how painful that loss was and that it would have been better not to make it to the championship at all. When asked if he shared his father’s view on such a loss, Jordan had a different approach, even less than a week after the game:
“It’s obviously devastating. What you dream of is winning that game. And then whenever you actually have that experience, and you go through those battles, and you win the games to get there, and you get there and lose, it is devastating. But ultimately, the time that’s spent with the people is the important piece. Having that time with my best friends and my coaches. Having those experiences and even the experience of that game, even though we lost, it’s something that a lot of people don’t get to experience, you know? Going through that with them, it’ll bond us forever, and those are my best friends. So I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.”
Coming off a grueling 16-game season, Clark will participate in the meetings and interview sessions at the Shrine Bowl this week, but he will be on the sidelines for practices. He describes the injury from his last game as a muscle cramp and is looking forward to getting back to the weight room, back on the field, and continuing to fine-tune his craft. He has not yet received an invitation to the Combine but hopes to hear more in a few days.
As far as his future goes? He knows that the Steelers like their bloodlines and would count it a blessing to join cornerback Joey Porter Jr, also the son of a former Steeler and Super Bowl champion, on the field in Pittsburgh.
“I would feel blessed to get to play for Coach Tomlin. To get to put that jersey on and that helmet on would mean the world to me. Obviously, I’ve spent my entire life fantasizing about it and rooting for them. I was saying that this year might be the last year I get to be a fan, so the opportunity to play for the Steelers would be an amazing thing. But wherever I land, I’ll feel blessed and be incredibly happy about it.”
