Louisville picks up Liberty cornerback transfer Kei'Trel Clark.
On June 22, 2020 Kei'Trel Clark, then enrolled at Liberty University entered his name in the transfer portal. He explained his move on twitter.
While specifics were not provided as to what transpired at Liberty, their loss is Louisville's gain. At least that's how it appears according to Clark's twitter account.
Clark, 5-foot-10, 165-pounds, appeared in all 13 games for the Flames last season and earned a starting role as a true freshman. On the field, he recorded 38 tackles, 6 pass breakups, and 3 tackles for loss. He was set to reprise his role as a starter in his sophomore season but decided to leave the program due to issues outside of the football field and cultural insensitivity at the school. That led to Louisville extending a scholarship offer only a few days later and things moved quickly between the two parties. Today that relationship manifested into Clark deciding to sign with the Cards.
Clark has three years of on the field eligibility remaining in his career, as well as a redshirt in-tact, but it is unclear if he will be forced to sit out due to NCAA transfer requirements this fall. With the help of PFF, we take a dive into the advanced statistics on how Clark performed during his time with the Flames and what can be expected of him in Louisville.
The Data: As a true freshman, Clark appeared in all 13 games and appeared in a total of 620 defensive snaps. He appeared in over 40 snaps in 10 of the 13 games played in 2019 and earned a starting role with the program. A total of 592 of those defensive snaps were spent at the cornerback spot. An additional 149 snaps were spread out among the various special teams units.
When it comes to coverage, Clark was targeted a total of 48 times on the season allowing only 28 receptions for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns. That is a completion percentage of 58.3-percent, the third-lowest total on the team out of those that played over 300 snaps. He also recorded six pass breakups, tied for most on the team, but did not get an interception during his time on the field.
During the season he was only flagged four times, with one of those being declined. Clark was especially sound in the tackling department grading out at 71.8 overall and only recording a total of 5 missed attempts over the course of his snaps. That is in comparison to notching 7 stops, which are tackles that constitute a loss for the offense.
In total, Clark finished as the 24th overall rated player on the Liberty defense and fifth in terms of snaps. Overall, there is a lot to like in the sense that Clark was a true freshman learning on the fly.