How Marcus Clarke went from starting CB to transfer portal in eight months
Miami Hurricanes cornerback Marcus Clarke entered the transfer portal Friday afternoon, checking out before even the second scrimmage of the fall.
Things were not going well, but the exit would definitely have to be classified as a surprise when you consider that Clarke played in every game last season and ended the year as a starter.
But these are new times at Miami.
Tyrique Stevenson is healthy and Daryl Porter arrived via the same transfer portal to claim Clarke’s starting job. Te’Cory Couch is experiencing a revival after a tough season last year and Al Blades is back from a hernia that sidelined him last season. Isaiah Dunson was one of the most improved defensive players in spring practice. DJ Ivey brings five seasons of experience to the table.
So suddenly the cornerback position is very crowded. There was no place for Clarke on the field and he knew it. So he ran in search of a new home with a simple Twitter message.
Clarke’s rise to the starting cornerback job at Miami was one of the feel good stories to an otherwise disappointing season last year for the Miami Hurricanes.
He was a 3-star recruit out of Winter Park in 2020 and played in six games as a true freshman with a single interception. That wasn’t bad considering he was a converted receiver learning the nuances of a new position. In the second to last game of the season, with 21 Miami players sidelined by Covid, he got his first start and had the interception.
Through the early part of the 2021 season, Clarke was buried on the depth chart and not playing very much. Pre-snap checks were giving him fits. There was a lot of frustration. But the guys above him started dropping fast to injuries and other situations and suddenly Clarke found himself in the starting lineup once again at the end of the year.
He played 265 snaps and finished with 24 tackles.
Overall Clarke graded out at 70.2 per Pro Football Focus, and his breakdown was a 65.6 run defense grade, 68.8 tackle grade, 71.2 pass rush grade and 69.6 cover grade. With 70 considered good, he was right there.
But it wasn’t good enough this year.
Clarke becomes the 22nd player from the 2021 team to leave the program.
