![Florida running back Kanye Clark (20) runs a drill during spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_2785,h_1566/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/213/01kzpesam0nxhgfw5x4s.jpg "Florida running back Kanye Clark (20) runs a drill during spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
When Kanye Clark transferred to Florida after three years at UCLA, most Gator fans didn’t think much of it. Clark was a former walk-on at UCLA who earned a scholarship ahead of the 2024 season, but he has had to fight off injuries, including one in 2024 that sidelined him for most of the season.
But despite a relatively low profile, Clark has been making a strong bid to be Florida’s starting STAR/nickle corner for 2026, and Jon Sumrall made sure to highlight how impressed he has been with Clark to this point.
Kanye Clark keeps giving Jon Sumrall reasons to notice him
Sumrall was asked on Monday about Clark and the fact that Clark doesn’t have a ton of playing experience despite being a redshirt junior. To this point, Clark has played just 289 snaps total, according to Pro Football Focus, during his three years at UCLA.
Sumrall said he has been very pleased with the progress Clark has made:
“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 easy. He can create negative plays at times because of his elusiveness. Fun player to watch. 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.”
What’s interesting about Clark is that despite his otherwise low profile nationally, he was a player that UCLA fans were sad to see depart in the transfer portal. The Daily Bruin wrote back in January that “He was one of the quickest players on the team and was a nice piece to the solid Bruin defensive back room.”
Sumrall has talked about Clark here and there since he arrived on campus. He has previously called him a "plesant suprise" and Clark had six tackles in the spring game. And the way Sumrall described him on Monday is in line with the type of player that Sumrall would be bound to fall in love with.
Florida’s STAR competition may be simpler than expected
What will be interesting to see is how Sumrall opts to mix and match with Clark. If Bryce Thornton and DJ Coleman wind up the two starting safeties, the belief right now is that Clark would settle in as the STAR. There is also a case to be made that Thornton could slide into the STAR and Coleman would pair up with Cam Dooley.
Sumrall has plenty of time to figure that out, but he seems to be impressed more and more each passing day with what Clark has been showing in fall camp.
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