It was one of the most surprising moments of the early signing period. Four-star defensive back Clark Phillips III had been committed to Ohio State and considered a lock to come play in Columbus. But then rumors started circulating, and Phillips took a visit to Utah.
Still, many considered the class’ No. 4 rated cornerback and 47th overall recruit according to 247Sports to still choose the Buckeyes when it was all said and done.
And then he didn’t — opting to make a flip at the last moment to Utah. It left the OSU coaches and fans with a missed opportunity to land one one of the commits they were looking forward to bringing in to round out the class. It could have been another big-time talent for a secondary losing experience and skill.
So what changed?
Phillips sat down with Jeremiah Jensen at NBC affiliate KSL TV in Salt Lake City to discuss the change of heart. When asked why he shifted gears, and why Utah was the place for him, Phillips shed a little light on the situation.
“Honestly, I can speak a long time about the things throughout the process that I was looking for the things that changed,” Phillips said. “But it was about a two-week span I had a change in heart, and the family with a lot of conversations and a lot of prayer definitely led me and allowed me to have the discernment to choose Utah over Ohio State.”
When asked if there was a moment when the decision became clear to him, Phillips said it happened just prior to signing day.
“About a couple of days before signing day I was talking to coach (Kyle) Whittingham,” said Phillips. “And a couple of things happened with the other university I was committed to (Ohio State) that allowed me to see that door open for Utah and really just made me feel really really comfortable with the staff and realize that the guys that are at Utah and the staff and everything that’s in place — I felt really really comfortable with the stability, the players, and then the opportunity that’s at hand.”
You can listen to the entire exchange thanks to the video of the sit-down shared to Jeremiah Jensen’s Twitter feed below.
Get to know the highest rated recruit @Utah_Football has ever signed. @ClarkPhillips28 shares why he chose Utah over Ohio State and what he hopes to accomplish during his career as a Ute #Utes @KSL5TV @kslsports https://t.co/mswkFuB8kZ Watch Here:https://t.co/MmttUttGal
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 6, 2020
Phillips seems like a very good kid that took a lot of time to make the decision that was right for him. Ohio State is not right for everyone and he and his family have decided to go another route, and that’s okay.
Good luck young man.