Tag: Justin Clark

2023 NFL draft: Giants undrafted rookie free agent tracker

The rush to sign undrafted rookie free agents is underway! Here’s a live 2023 tracker for the New York Giants.

The 2023 NFL draft has officially come to a close and the frenzy to sign undrafted rookie free agents (UDFA) is underway.

For general manager Joe Schoen and the New York Giants, they’ll look to add several players prior to the start of rookie mini-camp which will take place from May 5-6 in East Rutherford.

“I think you tie in free agency and you tie in the draft and I’m excited to go upstairs and see where we are on some undrafted free agents,” general manager Joe Schoen said after the draft.

It’s important to note that UDFA signings are not announced by the NFL, so some initial reports may be incorrect, changed or, unfortunately, outright faked. Until the Giants/NFL themselves announce the signings, these should all be considered rumors and subject to change.

As signings and rookie mini-camp invites are reported, we’ll update this article. So keep refreshing.

Rumored signings:

  • Michigan CB Gemon Green (link)
  • Toledo LB Dyontae Johnson (link)
  • Ole Miss LB Troy Brown (link)
  • Illinois QB Tommy DeVito (link)
  • West Virginia WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (link)
  • Pittsburgh DE Habakkuk Baldonado (link)
  • Charlotte LS Cam Lyons (link)
  • Washington S Alex Cook (link)

Rumored mini-camp tryouts:

  • Iowa State LB O’Rien Vance (link)
  • Baylor OL Khalil Keith (link)
  • North Dakota WR Garett Maag (link)
  • Central Michigan WR Carlos Carriere (link)
  • UCF TE Kemore Gamble (link)
  • ECU TE Ryan Jones (link)
  • Stony Brook DE Eric Black (link)
  • Wisconsin DB Justin Clark (link)
  • Texas WR Tarique Milton (link)
  • Northern Arizona S Morgan Vest (link)
  • Augustana S Eli Weber (link)
  • Holy Cross RB Peter Oliver (link)
  • N.C. State DB Cyrus Fagan (link)
  • UTSA OL Ahofitu Maka (link)
  • Temple DL Xach Gill (link)
  • Memphis CB Sylvonta Oliver (link)
  • Hawaii TE Caleb Phillips (link)
  • Maryland DL Ami Finau (link)
  • Riverside City College OL Cobe Bryant (link)
  • Northern Illinois DE Izayah Green (link)
  • Air Force QB Haaziq Daniels (link)
  • Clemson QB Hunter Johnson (link)
  • Union College RB Ike Irabor (link)
  • Canadian DL Lwal Uguak (link)
  • Colorado LB Quinn Perry (link)

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Five Badgers declare for the 2023 NFL draft

Over the last week, five Wisconsin Badgers have declared for the 2023 NFL draft:

Over the last week, several Wisconsin Badgers announced that they would be declaring for the 2023 NFL draft and presumably forgoing the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against Oklahoma State.

The first Badger to announce their decision to declare last week was cornerback Justin Clark, who transferred to Wisconsin from Toledo for his final year of eligibility. Unfortunately, Clark struggled to stay healthy throughout the season and only played in five games this year recording 10 total tackles.

Senior transfer cornerback Jay Shaw and junior offensive lineman Joe Tippmann announced their decisions on Thursday. Shaw started in every game for the Badgers this year and racked up 31 total tackles, six passes defended and an interception. Tippmann has been a consistent presence on the Badgers’ offensive line this season and was named as a consensus All-Big Ten honorable mention.

Wisconsin senior nose tackle Keeanu Benton announced his decision on Twitter on Friday night after his dominant senior season for the Badgers. Benton ranked in the top 20 in sacks and tackles for loss in the Big Ten this year with 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by coaches and was named as an honorable mention by the media.

The latest Badger to announce his decision was junior outside linebacker Nick Herbig, who has been one of the best edge rushers in the county this season. He was named a second-team Walter Camp All-American and a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection after racking up a conference-high 11 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss this season.

It will definitely be tough for Wisconsin to lose so much talent ahead of their bowl game, but it will be very exciting to see these Badgers take the step to the next level.

Below are the five Badgers’ announcements to declare for the 2023 NFL draft:

Former and current Badgers react to reports of Luke Fickell being named Wisconsin’s head coach

Former and current Wisconsin players react to the reports of Luke Fickell being named as Wisconsin’s next head coach:

Early on Sunday afternoon, Wisconsin State Journal writer, Tom Oates, first reported that the Wisconsin Badgers intend to make Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell their next head coach.

Related: Wisconsin football Twitter reacts to Luke Fickell reportedly being named the next head football coach

The news came as a surprise to Wisconsin players and fans who have been thinking interim head coach Jim Leonhard would likely take over the position permanently. Several current players have already offered their reaction to the news, while many former Badgers have also given their assessment on this potential move for the program.

It will be interesting to see what Fickell can bring to Wisconsin from the Bearcats, with whom he went 58-17 and led to a College Football Playoff appearance last season.

Below are the Twitter reactions of current and former Badgers players:

Badgers PFF grades: Top 5 defensive players from the win over Purdue

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded defensive players from Wisconsin’s victory over Purdue, according to Pro Football Focus:

Madison, Wis. – In his first home game as interim head coach, Jim Leonhard and the Wisconsin Badgers (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten), who were one-and-a-half point favorites, took care of business, winning 35-24 at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Against Purdue, the Wisconsin Badgers’ defense was missing some pretty important tools from its toolbox – but in the end, it didn’t matter.

Outside linebacker Nick Herbig didn’t play, and nose tackle Keeanu Benton was on a pitch count – but the defense as a whole found a way to slow down one of the Big Ten’s best offenses.

In total, UW allowed 431 total yards on 5.5 yards per play and won the turnover battle, forcing O’Connell to throw three interceptions on the day – one of which was a pick-six returned by safety John Torchio for a touchdown.

Inside linebacker play has been a real question mark so far this season, but I thought Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner played one of their best games as a pairing – which made a significant difference.

The Jewelry Thief stole the show on homecoming weekend, registering 10 tackles, two interceptions, a pass deflection, and a touchdown.

Here’s a look at the five highest-graded defensive players from Wisconsin’s victory over Purdue, according to Pro Football Focus.

Wisconsin CB Justin Clark named to The Athletics All-Old Geezer Team

Toledo transfer CB Justin Clark is among the most seasoned players in all of college football in 2022:

Stewart Mandel, who writes for The Athletic, published his annual All-Old Geezer Team this past week. This list featured a current member of the Wisconsin secondary, who was an off-season transfer portal addition.

Justin Clark, who transferred to Wisconsin after six seasons at Toledo, made Mandel’s All-Old Geezer Team – for a good reason.

Clark’s first college football season came back in 2016. Since then, he’s played over 1,700 career snaps for the Rockets and finds himself in Madison for one final ride playing with a Power 5 program.

According to PFF, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound CB has allowed a 57.5% completion percentage on 132 targets in his collegiate career. Clark has also registered 12 pass deflections, four interceptions, and a sack.

The Toledo transfer enters his seventh collegiate season due to benefiting from a medical redshirt and receiving an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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LOOK: Wisconsin football’s player photos for the 2022 season

Take a look at some of Wisconsin football’s new fre

Earlier this week, Wisconsin football took its player photos for the upcoming season and some Badgers released their personal favorites on social media.

Related: Breaking down every position along Badgers’ offensive line entering fall camp

There were several cool previews for next season in the posts, including the first look at some of Wisconsin’s incoming freshmen and transfers fully suited up in their uniforms. A photo from running back Braelon Allen also shows Chez Mellusi wearing No. 1 compared to being No. 6 last year.

Even though it is not quite fall camp yet, seeing the players in their uniforms makes me anticipate Wisconsin’s opener against Illinois State on Sept. 3 even more.

Here are some of the Badgers’ player photos for the upcoming 2022 season:

Badgers rebuilt secondary no longer a position group of weakness

Badgers rebuilt CB room has a chance to be really, really good this fall:

Entering the college football offseason, the Badgers top ranked defense was set to lose starting cornerbacks Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams, both of whom had been multi-year starters for UW. Couple that with starting nickel corner Dean Engram switching to the offensive side of the ball, and the nation’s top ranked defense has some serious holes to fill in their secondary.

Thankfully, Paul Chryst and company saw this glaring need on the roster, and took to the transfer portal to fix it. Wisconsin brought in Justin Clark (Toledo), Jay Shaw (UCLA), and Cedrick Dort Jr. (Kentucky), all of whom have considerable experience at the collegiate level to help rebuild an otherwise inexperienced secondary.

Not to mention, there have been several instances of in-house options taking the next step in their development and working their way up the depth chart. Senior CB Alexander Smith has the most experience of any returning player, and appears set to sit to begin fall camp as the team’s CB1 after a strong showing in the spring. Red-shirt freshman Ricardo Hallman also appears ready to push for meaningful snaps on the outside despite the influx of experience added to the roster.

These additions through the transfer portal helped patch up a gaping hole on the roster that allows Wisconsin to maintain their level of excellence on the field now, while allowing younger players like Al Ashford, Auman Williams, Max Lofy, and Avyonne Jones to continue developing until they’re ready for larger roles of their own in the future.

At their core, Wisconsin will continue to be a recruit and develop program. However, the transfer portal also allows for teams like UW to pursue stopgap options that prevent their younger players from being thrust into roles they’re not ready for. It’s a win-win for UW, and an overall masterful use of the transfer portal.

What was once viewed as a position group of weakness, is now viewed as a strength for the Badgers as they move past spring ball and into summer workouts.

Entering fall camp, Wisconsin’s projected starters at CB are expected to be Alexander Smith and Jay Shaw on the outside, with Toledo transfer Justin Clark starting at the nickel corner.

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Wisconsin adds Toledo DB via the transfer portal

Wisconsin adds Toledo DB via the transfer portal.

Wisconsin has added to their secondary via the transfer portal, landing a commitment from Toledo defensive back – Justin Clark.

Justin Clark (5-foot-11, 185lbs) comes to Wisconsin with 1,809 career snaps  under his belt in 41 career games at cornerback – all of which were played for the Toledo Rockets.

For his career, Justin Clark has registered 114 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, 12 pass deflections while allowing just 85 completions on 149 career targets (57.0 REC%).

Per PFF, Justin Clark finished the season with a coverage grade of 71.6, which would have been good for second among badgers defensive backs in 2021.

It’s also worth noting that 1,586 of Clark’s career snaps came while playing out on the boundary, with just 133 of them coming from in the slot.

Justin Clark should make for an interesting addition to the Wisconsin Badgers cornerback room, and should be well positioned to push for time next season.

 

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