Will Clarke (American football)

Last updated

Will Clarke
No. 45 – Arlington Renegades
Position: Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1991-05-04) May 4, 1991 (age 32)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:271 lb (123 kg)
Career information
High school: Pittsburgh (PA) Allderdice
College: West Virginia
NFL draft: 2014  / Round: 3 / Pick: 88
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:37
Sacks:7.0
Fumble recoveries:2
Player stats at NFL.com

William Clarke Jr. (born May 4, 1991) is an American football defensive end for the Arlington Renegades of the United Football League (UFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football at West Virginia.

Contents

Early years

Clarke attended Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, [1] [2] where he was a two-time Tribune Review All-City League as tight end and linebacker.

He was considered a two-star recruit by Rivals.com . [3]

College career

Clarke attended West Virginia University from 2009 to 2013. In 2009, he redshirted as a true freshman. In 2010, he played in only four games. In 2011, he played in all 13 games, starting 11, recording 34 tackles, including five for loss and two sacks. In 2012, he started 12 games, recording 26 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. In 2013, he set career highs in tackles (49), tackles for loss (17), and sacks (6), while earning second-team All-Big 12 Conference honors. [4]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 6+1⁄8 in
(1.98 m)		271 lb
(123 kg)		34+5⁄8 in
(0.88 m)		9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		4.77 s1.69 s2.81 s4.57 s7.26 s32.0 in
(0.81 m)		9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		22 reps
Sources: [5] [6]

Cincinnati Bengals

He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round (88th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft. [7]

On September 2, 2017, Clarke was released by the Bengals. [8]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On September 5, 2017, Clarke signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. [9]

On March 15, 2018, Clarke re-signed with the Buccaneers. [10] He was released by the team on September 3, 2018. [11] He was re-signed on September 12, 2018. [12] On October 10, 2018, Clarke was released by the Buccaneers. [13]

St. Louis BattleHawks

Clarke signed with the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL in December 2019. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020. [14]

Detroit Lions

Clarke had a tryout with the Detroit Lions on August 19, 2020, [15] and signed with the team four days later. [16] He was released on September 5, 2020. [17]

New Orleans Saints

On October 22, 2020, Clarke was signed to the practice squad of the New Orleans Saints. [18] He was released on November 17, 2020. [19]

Arlington Renegades

On November 17, 2022, Clarke was drafted by the Arlington Renegades of the XFL. [20] He re-signed with the team on January 24, 2024. [21]

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References

  1. ↑ White, Mike (October 26, 2017). "Woodland Hills is one of only 10 schools in the country with five NFL players". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Profile: Will Clarke". NFL.com. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ Will Clarke - Yahoo Sports
  4. ↑ SIMS, SPAIN, CLARKE, O'TOOLE ON AP ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
  5. ↑ "Will Clarke Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  6. ↑ "2014 NFL Draft Scout Will Clarke College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  7. ↑ "2014 NFL Draft: With The No. 88 Pick The Cincinnati Bengals Select West Virginia DE Will Clarke". CincyJungle.com. May 9, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  8. ↑ Toback, Rebecca (September 2, 2017). "NFL roster cuts 2017: Cincinnati Bengals 53-man roster". CincyJungle.com.
  9. ↑ Smith, Scott (September 5, 2017). "Buccaneers Add Will Clarke to D-Line". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018.
  10. ↑ Gantt, Darin (March 16, 2018). "Bucs re-sign top pass-rushing end Will Clarke". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  11. ↑ Smith, Scott (September 3, 2018). "Bucs Nab DE Carl Nassib in Waiver Claim". Buccaneers.com.
  12. ↑ Smith, Scott (September 12, 2018). "Bucs Lose Vernon Hargreaves to Injured Reserve". Buccaneers.com.
  13. ↑ Smith, Scott (October 10, 2018). "DE Demone Harris Promoted to Active Roster". Buccaneers.com.
  14. ↑ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  15. ↑ @AlbertBreer (August 19, 2020). "Today's workouts/visits" (Tweet). Retrieved August 21, 2020– via Twitter.
  16. ↑ "Lions sign free agent DE Will Clarke". www.detroitlions.com. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. September 5, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Saints sign veteran defensive end Will Clarke to their practice squad". NOLA.com. October 22, 2020.
  19. ↑ Johnson, Luke (November 17, 2020). "Saints sign defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow to practice squad". NOLA.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Rosters for all eight XFL teams: Full draft results and where Vic Beasley, Martavis Bryant landed". ESPN.com. November 18, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  21. ↑ @UFL_PR (January 25, 2024). "The United Football League, the premier spring football league, has agreed to terms with the following 8 players for the upcoming 2024 season" (Tweet). Retrieved January 24, 2024– via Twitter.
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