Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 OCT. 19, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE J ordan Clark had three podcasts under his belt before shooting the episode that dropped Oct. 10. This one, though, was different. This was "The Bus." The "Irish Scoop," which Varsity House Productions launched in late Au- gust with Clark as its host, had junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison on in its debut, and later sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love and graduate stu- dent safety Xavier Watts. All are Clark's teammates, and the starting Notre Dame nickel back has known Morrison since the latter was 4 years old. But in Episode 4, Clark interviewed NFL Hall of Famer and Notre Dame leg- end Jerome Bettis. "That would be the first time he's really put in the interview seat, and it's not just a conversation amongst friends," Ryan Clark, a longtime former NFL safety and current ESPN analyst, as well as Jordan Clark's dad, told Blue & Gold Illustrated. When they got to talking, though, it seemed like it was. Clark started it off with a question about Bettis returning to Notre Dame as a student to get his degree in 2022. "The idea of going back to school sounded good," Bettis said, laughing. "When I got here, it was a blizzard. I live in Atlanta, so I'm like, 'Oh my goodness.'" Clark laughed along with Bettis, al- ways making eye contact and nodding along as his guest told stories. Even the subject of Blue & Gold Illustrated came up, as Bettis explained how being on the cover of the 1992 Football Preview inspired Lou Holtz to humble a young Bus by calling him out at the beginning of practice. "It changed my football life, because that day, practice was so tough, I had to make a decision," Bettis said. "It was either, I'm gonna turn my level up or I'm gonna disappear." Clark breezed through the interview, which was no surprise to his produc- ers. He wants to go into broadcast jour- nalism after his football career is over, similarly to his dad, and he's just getting started. "Ultimately, I want to make the most out of [my Notre Dame experience]," Clark said. "I felt that doing the pod- cast is something that would benefit me greatly in that area." HAVING A CONVERSATION Clark first met Varsity House founder and podcast host Shaun Crawford when he went on Crawford's podcast in late March. Crawford, a former Notre Dame defensive back himself, had interviewed Ryan Clark before and reached out when Clark transferred from Arizona State. "During the conversation, it was very natural, very authentic," Crawford told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "Mid-podcast or after the podcast, I was like, 'Dude, I got this idea. I think you would be per- fect for it. And if you're down, then let's rock with it.' He was more than happy to help me out." GOING PLACES Star nickel back Jordan Clark is starting his media career early with 'The Irish Scoop' podcast In Notre Dame's first five games, Clark was targeted 15 times by opposing passers and allowed only 8 receptions for 47 yards (3.1 yards per attempt). PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER