Dean Clark (American football)

Last updated
Dean Clark
No. 35 – New York Jets
Position Safety
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born Massillon, Ohio, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school Massillon (Massillon, Ohio)
College Kent State (2019–2022)
Fresno State (2023–2024)
NFL draft 2025: undrafted
Career history

Dean Clark is an American professional football safety for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes and Fresno State Bulldogs and was signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2025.

Contents

Early life

Clark was born in Massillon, Ohio. [1] He attended Massillon Washington High School where he played football as a safety and also competed in track and field. [1] He became a full-time starter for Massillon as a junior and served as co-team captain as a senior. [2] He was selected first-team All-Northeast Inland District Division II and helped Massillon reach the state title game in 2018. [1] A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes. [3]

College career

Clark appeared in 12 games, posting six tackles, as a true freshman for Kent State in 2019. [1] He then recorded a team-leading 28 tackles in 2020. [1] In 2021, he totaled 116 tackles, including 79 unassisted, and was named All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) for his performance. [4] [5] Clark redshirted in 2022, appearing in four games, before transferring to play for the Fresno State Bulldogs in 2023. [5] He tallied 83 tackles for the Bulldogs in 2023 before recording 63 tackles, two sacks and an interception in his last year, 2024. [6] In his collegiate career, Clark had five interceptions and posted 14 pass breakups. [6]

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft, Clark signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. [7] He was waived on August 26, 2025, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. [8] [9] He was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dean Clark". Fresno State Bulldogs.
  2. ↑ Easterling, Chris (October 3, 2018). "Nothing's too hard for Tigers' 'consistent' Clark". The Independent – via archive.today.
  3. ↑ Hicks, Zach (April 4, 2025). "30 Days of Colts Fits: SAF Dean Clark, Fresno State". Sports Illustrated .
  4. ↑ Arsenault, Bill (October 13, 2023). "Dean Clark making impact for Fresno State football, Charles Turner III anchors LSU line". Canton Repository .
  5. 1 2 Holland Jr., Peter (January 11, 2023). "Massillon grad Dean Clark transferring to Fresno State football from Kent State". The Akron Beacon Journal .
  6. 1 2 Wojton, Nick (June 4, 2025). "Who is one UDFA on the Jets to watch for during the 2025 NFL offseason?". USA Today .
  7. ↑ Melo, Justin (July 2, 2025). "Jets UDFA DB Dean Clark is underdog worth watching". USA Today .
  8. ↑ Bainbridge IV, Albert (August 26, 2025). "New York Jets cut tracker: Latest moves as NFL trims to 53-man roster". Bergen Record .
  9. ↑ Weir, Susanna; Allen, Eric (August 27, 2025). "Jets Sign 14 Players to Practice Squad". New York Jets.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Allen, Eric (September 20, 2025). "Jets Elevate QB Brady Cook, S Dean Clark to the Active Roster". New York Jets.
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