Chris Clark Officially Granted Release from UCLA

Submitted by The Victors on

This isn't necessarily surprising news after it was reported previously that Chris Clark spent a gameday weekend at home and was not practicing with the team, but now it is official.

Link (not paywalled): http://www.scout.com/college/football/recruiting/story/1590131-chris-clark-on-next-move-after-ucla-transfer

No details on what he is looking for in particular in a school, but there have been rumblings that he was homesick and wanted to be closer to home.

Anyone in the know care to share the transfer rule implications of this? I would assume that if because he played in even just 1 game this season that he would need to sit out the 2016 season (assuming he transfers to another FBS program), but that he could possibly get a waiver and play next season considering he only played in 1 game.

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Chris Clark

dipshit moron

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:11 PM ^

how in the world can anybody on here comment on a 18 year old kid that you dont know anything about? i mean i get it that you have read about him , but why would you even care? you should care that much about the kids that are on this team now.

Joined: 07/04/2008

MGoPoints: -13526

westwardwolverine

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:19 PM ^

When someone makes themselves very publicly well-known, its pretty easy to get a feel for them (or at least the persona they are trying to project). 

The fact is, he's a talented guy who would be an ideal fit - in theory - for a Jim Harbaugh offense. People are talking about him because he had a lot of interest in coming here and even said he would have come here if it had just been about football. I'd assume that's still part of his thought process. So it seems like a legitimate topic of interest for Michigan fans to speculate on. 

Joined: 11/26/2013

MGoPoints: 9007

Mocha Cub

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:19 PM ^

You joined this blog in 2008, so I'm assuming you've read content here at least once a year in the past 7 years. You can't seriously be asking that question. This is Mgoblog where everyone makes their MgoJudgments, whether they are informed or not. 

Joined: 11/17/2013

MGoPoints: 23066

Mocha Cub

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:17 PM ^

Honestly, he's pretty damn talented and up until he announced for UCLA back in Feb, a majority of Michigan fans wanted him to bring his talents to AA. If Harbaugh is for bringing him to AA, I'm fine with it. If he's not for it, I'm fine with that too. It's not like Harbaugh doesn't know how to handle players with inflated egos. He did pretty damn well doing so in the NFL for the past 4 years. 

Joined: 11/17/2013

MGoPoints: 23066

MGoChippewa

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:30 PM ^

to drive him to the airport, so hopefully he made good on that. I think the criticism for this young man has been a bit harsh. Sometimes things just aren't a good fit. I think he should've stuck it out longer, but I'd be on board if he wanted to play for Michigan and Harbaugh welcomed it.

Joined: 01/06/2011

MGoPoints: 11463

I Like Burgers

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:37 PM ^

Sometimes knowing something is a bad fit and then doing something about it is a good thing.  The stick out mentality doesn't always work -- and can often be detrimental to both parties.

For instance, the last two jobs I've had I bailed on because it just wasn't a good fit.  Same thing with past relationships before I met my wife.  No amount of sticking it out was going to fix any of those situations.  Part of growing up is knowing when things are shitty that its OK to check out of the situation and move on.

Joined: 10/06/2012

MGoPoints: 30575

Rabbit21

September 23rd, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^

Yeah, but knowing something is a bad fit after one year is a lot different than thinking it's a bad fit after about one month.  I'd be sympathetic and say take a shot if he had lasted a year or even a season, this just seems like he got embarassed when Mora chewed him out at practice, never got over it, and then transferred.  If he couldn't handle Mora chewing him out, I doubt he'll do any better with Harbaugh.  I think he needs to find a guy who's more of a player's coach.

From what I have seen of Mora he seems to be a pretty good guy off the football and practice fields, there he's really intense and I can see that not being for everyone(especially someone who liked the UCLA weather in January while dealing with a CT winter).  I don't see Mora changing because frankly, UCLA is playing a lot better with him than they have with any coach since mid-80's Terry Donahue.

Joined: 11/12/2009

MGoPoints: 30303

I Like Burgers

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:33 PM ^

We need playmakers on offense.

We need tight ends on offense.

A playmaking tight end would be delightful.  If he wants to come, bring him on in.  Sounds like whatever happened at UCLA he's learned from.

Joined: 10/06/2012

MGoPoints: 30575

LSAClassOf2000

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:35 PM ^

He said in going through the process this time, he has matured and understands better what to look for in a college.

All you can hope - if that's the case - is that he lands at a place that suits him and, more importantly, suits his future as he sees it. I assume that "closer to home" probably means closer to the east coast in his case, but wherever he ultimately lands, hopefully he finds a good fit. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130627

bacon

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:50 PM ^

Let's not get too bent out of shape here over his leaving UCLA. This type of thing happens from time to time and players can go on to have good careers other places. I'd be happy to have another player with his talent on the roster.

Joined: 01/04/2009

MGoPoints: 18646

Rabbit21

September 23rd, 2015 at 7:10 AM ^

How many who left after one game went on to have good careers though? If this was after his first season then I'd say sure give it a shot. This feels like he got yelled at by Mora, never got over it and then decided to leave. I don't know the guy, but the details are kind of damning.

Joined: 11/12/2009

MGoPoints: 30303

UMForLife

September 22nd, 2015 at 8:10 PM ^

If Harbaugh takes him, then I trust Harbaugh's judgment. If Mora blocked him from coming here, shame on him. M has got nothing to do with UCLA. Be a bigger man Mora.

Joined: 11/04/2013

MGoPoints: 63393

Mr. Yost

September 22nd, 2015 at 8:22 PM ^

The whole "do not want" is bullshit. If he would've picked Michigan you would've been just fine with his diva/primadonna recruitment. We may not have liked it, we may have thought it was stupid...but I don't know one person on this site that would've opposed a committment by Clark.

Let's be real with ourselves.

Now if he's a handful - which none of us know...then I agree 100% "DO. NOT. WANT."

But how can we judge this? Do we know him? Has he done anything but realize that chasing beaches, a fast college life and hot girls isn't what college is about for a kid with NFL type potential?

For all the people that say "In Harbaugh I Trust" and "In Beilein I Trust"...even when they fail or make mistakes...THIS IS THE TIME YOU SHOULD BE SAYING THIS! Not blindly just because you want to make yourself feel better about losing a recruit or a bad coaching decision. Do that now - when you don't have any information to form an opinion.

If Clark has matured, if he was just a rich kid that got caught up in the whole being a 5* recruit and being recruited by an NFL coach, warm weather, hot girls, and the glitz of LA...he's 19, sue him. It can happen.

If he's learned and he's matured, it's not THAT big of a deal people. He didn't go to jail, he didn't embarrass himself and his family. Relax and stop playing an ex-girlfriend.

If he is matured, a good teammate, and can come be Jake Butt 2.0 - DO WANT. But in Harbaugh I trust to make the decision...and I'm not going to bash the kid without knowing him or his situation. I'll just say he was young and dumb and I hope he's learned his lesson.

Joined: 07/25/2011

MGoPoints: -9898220

Mr. Yost

September 23rd, 2015 at 9:21 AM ^

Harbaugh isn't nearly the yeller people think...he's not Hoke - don't get me wrong. But he's had one in-game outburst and it was at an official.

Go watch Mora or Brian Kelly, they go off ALL the time.

Harbaugh supports guys when they make mistakes and coaches them up...he may go off on the team. But I haven't heard anything about his ripping into guys individually like these other coaches do.

IMO, it IS different.

Joined: 07/25/2011

MGoPoints: -9898220

CoverZero

September 22nd, 2015 at 9:43 PM ^

BS.  You do not speak for everyone Yost.  I didnt want that "no fly zone" kid from Florida with the trumped up grades from the fake admissions program that RR recruited either (Dorsey).  Some kids are not good fits at a program that is trying to build character..and character leads to long lasting winning.

Joined: 08/30/2014

MGoPoints: 14571

Reader71

September 22nd, 2015 at 10:15 PM ^

Any coach worth his salt is also a character-builder. Michigan football has recruited gangbangers, thieves, sexual deviants, and men of I'll repute and turned many them into model citizens. They've also recruited Boy Scouts who took a wrong turn. It doesn't always work, but because the majority of the kids are already high character guys, the locker room can he very beneficial to a few potential bad apples. Even if everything people seem to believe about Clark is true, putting him on a team coached by Harbaugh, in a locker room lee by guys like Bolden and Kerridge, working daily with Kevin Tolbert, living in Ann Arbor, and going to school at Michigan could really help him.

Joined: 08/30/2009

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