Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 AUGUST 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY DAVID MCKINNEY Notre Dame has landed its quarter- back in the class of 2019. A successful official visit over the weekend of June 16 helped turn the tide for Midlothian (Va.) Manchester three-star quarter- back Brendon Clark. Less than three weeks later, he announced his commit- ment to the Irish over his other final- ists, North Carolina and Clemson. Following the March decommitment of four-star Cade McNamara — now a Michigan pledge — Notre Dame zeroed in on Wisconsin commit Gra- ham Mertz as a target at quarterback in 2019. The Irish were optimistic about their chances with Mertz, but a visit never materialized and Notre Dame moved on. Clark landed his offer from the Irish in late May, and backed off his pledge to Wake Forest soon after. Notre Dame was able to get Clark on campus and impress him enough before he made his decision July 4. Prior to selecting the Irish, he made visits to Clemson, Tennessee and North Carolina. According to MaxPreps, Clark com- pleted 165 of 272 passes for 2,006 yards with 28 touchdowns and four intercep- tions last fall. Manchester head coach Thomas Hall liked the decision his quarterback made. "I think he's a perfect fit for Notre Dame," Hall said. "I know Coach [Brian] Kelly and I know what he does offensively, and we do very similar things. "Knowing the history of Notre Dame, I think it's a perfect fit." After three years of coaching Clark, Hall had nothing but good things to say about the Irish pledge. "Brendon has been a four-year starter and he's been a captain all four years," Hall said. "A recruiter from another school described him as a Tim Tebow who can throw the ball, and that's really what he is. "He's a leader, an extremely hard worker and he plays with tons of mojo." Clark led Manchester to an 11-2 overall record in both his sophomore and junior seasons, and Hall said that level of consistent success comes with someone like Clark at quarterback. "He's changed our program," the coach stated. "He's taken a program that's been above average through the years to one of the top programs in our area and in the state." Hall said he fully expects Clark to take that program-changing mentality with him to Notre Dame. "That's what he's done for us," Hall said. "I don't have enough time to talk about all the good things he's done for this program. He's a once-in-a-lifer." Beyond all the physical skills and God-given talent, Hall said Clark's de- meanor in game situations is what sets him apart. "There are multiple things you're going to notice about him," Hall said. "But I think the biggest thing is his composure and how he handles him- self in any situation." For Clark, Hall said, there's no such thing as pressure. "No play is too big," Hall explained. "He handles every play the same, whether it's fourth-and-18 or first- and-10. When Michael Jordan played, you wanted the ball in his hands when the game was on the line, and that's how it is with Brendon." The poise Clark brings to the field pours over into his life outside of foot- ball as well. "He has all the intangibles on and off the field," Hall said. "His team- mates respect him, the student body loves him, and there's not a person who knows Brendon that would say anything bad about him. "His character is phenomenal." Malcolm Bell, Clark's private quar- terback coach from Undefeated Quar- terback Training, echoed Hall's senti- ments. "He's a great overall person and somebody that's serious about his craft," Bell said. "He doesn't want any- thing handed to him, and I think a lot of Notre Dame fans will know that." Clark will be one class behind 2018 Rivals100 quarterback Phil Jurkovec and one class in front of 2020 Rivals100 commit Drew Pyne. Hall said Clark isn't one to shy away from competition. "He's going into a pretty tough situ- ation with the 2018 guy that's already there and the 2020 guy that's highly recruited right now, so he's right in the middle of that," Hall said. "He's a guy that puts on his blinders and is always ready to work." ✦ FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Brendon Clark possesses the thick frame coaches covet in a run-throw quarterback … Shows good arm strength already, but there is still room for him to add even more power … Effortless passer that is a strong deep ball passer … Red zone touch is impressive, and he shows good timing as a thrower … Has a good feel in the pocket when it comes to feeling and avoiding pressure while keeping his eyes downfield … Quality athlete; ran a 4.74 in the 40-yard dash in April. Areas For Improvement Has to clean up his mechanics with the pri- mary focus being on using his feet better as a thrower … Tends to be too much of an "all arm" passer, failing to use his lower body to drive the throw … With improved footwork he should be able to generate more zip on his throws, but improved accuracy will be the greater beneficiary of cleaner footwork. — Bryan Driskell COMMITMENT PROFILE BRENDON CLARK Fighting Irish Get Their 2019 Quarterback Clark, a three-star prospect from Midlothian (Va.) Manchester, selected Notre Dame over Clemson and North Carolina. PHOTO COURTESY MANCHESTER FOOTBALL "A recruiter from another school described him as a Tim Tebow who can throw the ball, and that's really what he is. He's a leader, an extremely hard worker and he plays with tons of mojo." MIDLOTHIAN (VA.) MANCHESTER HEAD COACH THOMAS HALL ON CLARK