Kanye Clark has made a habit of finding a way in, then forcing the issue.
Now at Florida, the redshirt junior is trying to do it again, only this time the stage is the SEC. After arriving from UCLA, where he walked on in 2023 despite holding double-digit scholarship offers as a high school recruit, Clark quickly earned a scholarship and kept carving out a role. That same edge is what made the move to Gainesville feel simple when the Gators’ new staff reached out in January.
“My transfer portal process, it was pretty smooth. This was my first visit and only visit I came on here to Florida.
So, as soon as I got here, I knew I wanted to come here,” Clark said Tuesday, adding, “coming to the SEC, that's everybody's dream as a child. So that's what I wanted to do and it was a new opportunity for me to show my ability at the highest level.”
Clark, a Sacramento, Calif. native, spent his time at UCLA showing he could contribute in more than one way. He handled multiple special-teams phases as a freshman and also saw defensive snaps, hinting at a bigger workload in 2024. That season was cut short by injury after just two games on scholarship.
He came back in 2025 and logged 22 total tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups and one forced fumble in nine games with two starts. He split time between nickel and outside cornerback, and his strongest stretch came late, with 12 tackles, his tackle for loss, his forced fumble and one of those pass breakups coming over the final two games against Washington and Southern California.
“It was definitely like a little flash for me,” Clark recalled. “With what we went through at UCLA last year, and still being able to show my ability and show that I could play on the highest level.”
UCLA’s season had already been shaken by an early coaching change, with DeShaun Foster fired after the Bruins started 0-3. Clark said he initially weighed staying with new coach Bob Chesney or entering the portal, but once an SEC opportunity came into view, he leaned into the chance to prove himself again.
“I feel like I always have to prove myself [after] being a walk-on. I always remember that,” Clark shared. “And coming from the West Coast to the SEC, I always feel like I have to prove myself.”
One voice helped push him toward Florida: former UCLA teammate J. Michael Sturdivant, who played for the Gators and is now with the Green Bay Packers. Clark said Sturdivant sold him on the atmosphere around Florida football.
“He told me playing the Swamp was one of the best things he's ever done,” said Clark. When you play in front of all of those people and a good crowd environment, because obviously it's a lot better in the SEC. That's one of the things that sold me, and he also said about being where your feet are and being able to focus and lock in on football.”
Florida is asking Clark to fit into a completely rebuilt STAR nickel cornerback group, and so far he has made a strong impression. Gators coach Jon Sumrall has repeatedly praised the 5-foot-10, 186-pound defensive back this offseason, especially for how he plays bigger than his size.
“He's really twitchy. Great short-area quickness.
Has a knack for leverage and instincts on the football. Really good in coverage.
Kind of a hard guy to block at times. He's not the biggest guy, but sometimes those guys can slip blocks easily.
He can create negative plays at times because of his elusiveness. A fun player to watch,” Sumrall described Clark.
“He's got a little spark-plug mentality, like the way he plays. He gives you a little juice, a little bit of an edge, a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.
Look forward to watching him grow. He's having a good camp so far.
Really a headsy football player that I'm excited to see what he can do. We got to continue to develop the depth of that spot, but I like what he's doing.”
Clark says the label next to his frame matters less than the numbers he can put up in the weight room. During Florida’s summer workout program, he said he bench-pressed and power-cleaned 315 pounds, single-leg squatted 405 pounds and deadlifted 525 pounds.
“Just always being seen as a smaller guy kind of fuels me on the field,” Clark said. “So I like to go hit people and show them that size doesn't matter.”
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