From Walk On to Starter? UCLA DB Thinks He Can

UCLA has become the land of opportunity.

Defensive back Kanye Clark wasn’t a highly sought-after recruit. 247Sports gave him a very low three-star ranking, and he had several offers to play football at multiple Mountain West schools — but that was all.

Perhaps the pathway to his dreams was to dominate at the Mountain West level and go from there.

But the Sacramento kid took the Vegas mentality when the Bruins gave him a call the day before signing day.

“I had probably around 13 to 15 other offers,” Clark recalled. “But the day before signing day, I got a call and UCLA offered me a walk-on spot, so I decided to gamble on myself, come here and just prove myself again.”

Boy did it pay off.

Putting all of his chips on green, the gamble that had a 2% chance of hitting, ultimately hit.

Clark received a scholarship during spring practice of 2024, and it sent everyone who knew how much work he put in into a range of emotions.

“I really cried,” said UCLA defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe. “He represents the D.R.E. (discipline, respect and enthusiasm). When coach [DeShaun Foster] gave him that scholarship, that made me—it filled me with pride more than just Kanye, because it just showed the hard work, regardless of scholarship, walk-on.”

Now, as one of the few remaining Bruins in the secondary, Clark has a chance to earn a starting spot.

In his first two games of the 2024 season, he looked sharp. He only registered one tackle but had two pass deflections. Shortly after, though, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with an apparent leg injury.

Due to Foster keeping it tight-lipped, we still don’t know what the injury was. But if it was season-ending, one would have to suspect it was rather severe.

Even though he missed the season, it didn’t stop him from excelling in the classroom. He was named to the Fall 2024 Academic All-Big Ten Team, as well as the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

Now, with a new season on the horizon and a clean bill of health, it’s time for the redshirt sophomore to do what he set out to do:

Lock down receivers and make opposing quarterbacks look silly.

The Bruins will need it, as they had one of the worst secondaries in the country — a big reason why Foster brought in seven new players, not including freshman Jaydn Hudson.

Having someone like Clark and safety Croix Stewart will be huge for the Bruins since they’ll know what Foster and secondary coach Demetrice Martin are looking for.

UCLA has already had a recent walk-on success story in Carson Schwesinger.

Now it’s Kanye Clark’s turn at greatness.

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