BERKELEY – Cal head coach Sonny Dykes announced Friday that current high school senior running back Derrick Clark (San Diego, CA/Mission Bay HS) has signed a financial aid agreement to join the Cal football program. Clark becomes the fourth member of the Golden Bears’ 2016 recruiting class following the signings in September of offensive tackle Jake Curhan (Larkspur, CA/Redwood HS), wide receiver Jordan Duncan (Hattiesburg, MS/Oak Grove HS) and quarterback Max Gilliam (Thousand Oaks, CA/Thousand Oaks HS). All are expected to enroll at Cal in January of 2016.
“We’re excited that Derrick will be joining our football program in January,” Dykes said. “He is a versatile running back with a skill set that fits nicely into our offense both running the ball and coming out of the backfield as a receiver. He also has tremendous character and an excellent academic background that will serve him well within the culture of our football team and in the classroom.”
Clark has earned first-team All-Western League honors as a 2015 senior for the second consecutive season by rushing for 1,361 yards and 13 touchdowns on 191 carries in his first campaign at running back, while adding nine receptions for 236 yards and three touchdown catches and also throwing three scoring passes. The Buccaneers have a 10-2 overall record and secured a spot in the CIF San Diego Section Division III Championship Game this Saturday at Southwestern College against top-seed Bonita Vista with a 31-28 win over Valley Center last Saturday in a game that featured Clark scoring the game-tying touchdown prior to the game-winning field goal.
Clark moved to running back as a senior after totaling 2,319 all-purpose yards in several roles including primarily a running quarterback on offense during his 2014 junior season when he earned first-team All-Western League recognition for the first time. Clark rushed for 1,519 yards and 23 touchdowns on 128 carries from his signal-caller spot with seven 100-plus yard rushing games, as well as 390 kickoff return yards, 388 punt return yards and four receptions for 22 yards. He also added 630 yards in the air on 34-of-57 passing with two scoring throws and one pick, as well as three rushing conversions to total 144 points. In addition, he punted three times for a 36.0 yard average.
Clark is a consensus three-star recruit who is ranked as high as the No. 24 running back nationally according to Rivals, while Scout lists him as the No. 3 running back in California and No. 4 in the West. Rivals has published his 40-yard dash time as 4.46, while Hudl has him at 4.47.
“He plays big and tough,” ESPN wrote in its scouting analysis of Clark. “[He] attacks defenders with both lean and balance. [He] isn’t easily knocked off his feet and shows a very good center of gravity. [He] can take a hit and bounce for additional yards after contact. [He] falls forward and is only going to get bigger, stronger and more powerful.”
Clark also played baseball as a 2015 prep junior and hit .398 with five homers, 13 RBI and six stolen bases while scoring 33 runs over 28 contests for a team that reached a play-in game of the CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoffs.
2016 Cal Football Recruiting Class (as of December 4, 2015)
NAME - POS - HT - WT - YR - EXP - HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOLS)
*Derrick Clark - RB - 5-11 - 195 - Fr. - HS - San Diego, CA (Mission Bay HS)
^Jake Curhan - OT - 6-6 - 305 - Fr. - HS - Larkspur, CA (Redwood HS)
#Jordan Duncan - WR - 6-2 - 195 - Fr. - HS - Hattiesburg, MS (Oak Grove HS)
+Max Gilliam - QB - 6-2 - 195 - Fr. - HS - Thousand Oaks, CA (Thousand Oaks HS)
+Announced September 10, 2015; ^announced September 16, 2015; #announced September 17, 2015; *announced December 4, 2015
“We’re excited that Derrick will be joining our football program in January,” Dykes said. “He is a versatile running back with a skill set that fits nicely into our offense both running the ball and coming out of the backfield as a receiver. He also has tremendous character and an excellent academic background that will serve him well within the culture of our football team and in the classroom.”
Clark has earned first-team All-Western League honors as a 2015 senior for the second consecutive season by rushing for 1,361 yards and 13 touchdowns on 191 carries in his first campaign at running back, while adding nine receptions for 236 yards and three touchdown catches and also throwing three scoring passes. The Buccaneers have a 10-2 overall record and secured a spot in the CIF San Diego Section Division III Championship Game this Saturday at Southwestern College against top-seed Bonita Vista with a 31-28 win over Valley Center last Saturday in a game that featured Clark scoring the game-tying touchdown prior to the game-winning field goal.
Clark moved to running back as a senior after totaling 2,319 all-purpose yards in several roles including primarily a running quarterback on offense during his 2014 junior season when he earned first-team All-Western League recognition for the first time. Clark rushed for 1,519 yards and 23 touchdowns on 128 carries from his signal-caller spot with seven 100-plus yard rushing games, as well as 390 kickoff return yards, 388 punt return yards and four receptions for 22 yards. He also added 630 yards in the air on 34-of-57 passing with two scoring throws and one pick, as well as three rushing conversions to total 144 points. In addition, he punted three times for a 36.0 yard average.
Clark is a consensus three-star recruit who is ranked as high as the No. 24 running back nationally according to Rivals, while Scout lists him as the No. 3 running back in California and No. 4 in the West. Rivals has published his 40-yard dash time as 4.46, while Hudl has him at 4.47.
“He plays big and tough,” ESPN wrote in its scouting analysis of Clark. “[He] attacks defenders with both lean and balance. [He] isn’t easily knocked off his feet and shows a very good center of gravity. [He] can take a hit and bounce for additional yards after contact. [He] falls forward and is only going to get bigger, stronger and more powerful.”
Clark also played baseball as a 2015 prep junior and hit .398 with five homers, 13 RBI and six stolen bases while scoring 33 runs over 28 contests for a team that reached a play-in game of the CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoffs.
2016 Cal Football Recruiting Class (as of December 4, 2015)
NAME - POS - HT - WT - YR - EXP - HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOLS)
*Derrick Clark - RB - 5-11 - 195 - Fr. - HS - San Diego, CA (Mission Bay HS)
^Jake Curhan - OT - 6-6 - 305 - Fr. - HS - Larkspur, CA (Redwood HS)
#Jordan Duncan - WR - 6-2 - 195 - Fr. - HS - Hattiesburg, MS (Oak Grove HS)
+Max Gilliam - QB - 6-2 - 195 - Fr. - HS - Thousand Oaks, CA (Thousand Oaks HS)
+Announced September 10, 2015; ^announced September 16, 2015; #announced September 17, 2015; *announced December 4, 2015