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Dominic Clarke, Cover Corner for 2009
Dominic Clarke

Dominic Clarke, Cover Corner for 2009

    Maryland has provided two different cornerbacks to the Ohio State program for the 2009 recruiting class. Darrell Givens committed during the Spring Game only to be convinced by Penn State that he could play for the Nittany Lions earlier than he could play for the Buckeyes.

    But the 5’11” 180lbs Dominic Clarke, out of Frederick Md. Tuscarora couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be the 16th commitment for 2009 and to play for Ohio State and compete against the best wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs in the Big 10 when he earned a scholarship offer just before senior camp earlier this month.

Tour of the Campus

    Clarke came to campus the first Friday on June with his family for an unofficial visit. While on campus he was impressed with the academics and Strength and Conditioning Coach Eric Lichter impressed the young cornerback. He committed to Ohio State before leaving campus at the end of the weekend. Clarke plans on returning to Columbus for the June 20th senior camp.

    This wasn’t the firs time Clarke was on campus as he visited for the Spring Game in April. “I have visited Ohio State. I went up there for the spring game and it was AMAZING the fans are fanatics I have never seen so many people at a spring game before.” He told us about his visit prior to his commitment.

Smart and Athletic

    Clarke isn’t just a great cornerback prospect but also a great student. Currently holding somewhere between a 3.5 GPA and 4.0 core GPA, he enrolled in several honors classes this past semester and got perfect scored according to reports. But he is also athletic, able to run a 4.41 40-yard dash, and having a 36 inch vertical jump.

    When we asked Clarke about his ability on the field he told us about his quickness and play making ability. “I believe my best attributes are my quickness, good techniques and I like being physical that really helps my game a lot.” For his junior year Clarke played running back as well as defensive back. He mentioned his offensive and defensive stats to us. “My stats are 836yrds rushing (I only played 8 games at RB) 6yrds/cary, 5tds, 3ints, 5 pass deflections.”

Offers and Visits

    The offers starting to roll in for Clarke, it seems surprising that there was a time when he wasn’t sure that he would receive one offer. “The highlight of my high school career would have to be finally getting my first offer because FINALLY it seemed like all my success was paying off.” He explained to us.

    But as recruiting picked up Clarke received offers from Virginia, Maryland, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Navy, Boston College, Ohio State and others. Before committing to the Buckeyes he had planned on visiting most of the schools that had offered scholarships. “Over the summer I plan to visit the rest of the schools that have offered me including Ohio State.”

    When describing what he was looking for in a college and a football program, Clarke seems to be describing Ohio State exactly. “In a college football program I am looking for a team that is devoted to winning no matter what their past record was. Good facilities, and good coaches that are interested not just in the advancing my football skills but interested in my academic and off the field life as well; a coach that truly cares about my well being. The schools that have shown the most interest in me are the ones that have offered.” He told us near the first of the month.

 
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