2024 athlete Rahshawn Clark commits to Cal: 'They've made me feel like a priority'

Rahshawn Clark only needed one official visit to know where he wanted to play his college football.

The three-star athlete out of Seattle (Wash.) Garfield considered Washington, Oregon, Louisville and others, but after his visit to Cal last month, he knew Berkeley was home.

And Wednesday afternoon he made it official by committing to the Bears.

“The people and the vibe on campus were just right,” he told On3. “People would ask me about my
‘whys’ of why I would want to go to a school, and one of the reasons was what the vibe is on campus because I know who I am as a person. And when I took that official to Cal, they ticked that box. It’s not too far from home, and how they made me and my mom feel when we came up, it was so genuine.”

Clark, who says the Bears want him to play nickel and safety at the next level, was on his second straight visit to campus after being there in April. The Bears made him feel like a priority early on, and that never went away.

“I’ve been talking to Cal since my freshman year, but they offered me my sophomore year in the summer,” he said. “So it’s been a minute. They’ve made me feel like a priority ever since they offered me.”

Clark made his decision during the official visit

In the midst of those back-to-back visits, Clark had a good feeling about Cal. And it only took until midway through his visit for him to make up his mind about the future. July 5 was the date he wanted to commit to celebrate his mother’s birthday, but he has been locked in for a few weeks now.

“It was toward the end on Saturday night. I’d asked all my questions, and they’d answered them all,” he said. “I talked to a whole bunch of players, and when I broke it down and thought about how much of a priority they’d made me from the jump, that’s when I ultimately knew.”

Defensive backs coaches Tre Watson and Terrence Brown led the way in his recruitment, with his connection to Brown dating all the way back to his time at Washington. That longstanding relationship only furthered his confidence in the Bears.

“Coach TB was at Washington when they were recruiting me and we talked a lot,” he said. “When he left UW, he still recruited me. That’s love, that’s real. And Coach Watson, when he offered me from Cal, he always stayed consistent and reminded me how much of a priority was. And his actions showed that.”