Sam Pittman makes statement on Burlsworth Trophy, Hudson Clark

This week, the Burlsworth Trophy nominations came out, and Arkansas defender Hudson Clark was on the list. The award goes to the best FBS player who started his career as a walk-on, and the Razorbacks had last year’s winner in Grant Morgan.

Sam Pittman spoke glowingly about Clark after the news came out.

“He’s done a really good job,” Pittman said. “It’s amazing. The Burlsworth Trophy right now, the winner, it seems like, almost has to be an All-American. If you look back here recently and guys that’s won the Burlsworth, it’s a guy that’s walked on and has gone on to do incredible things. Hudson’s certainly deserving of our nomination for that.”

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Clark has played both cornerback and safety this year, and even won SEC Defensive Player of the Week after sliding over to safety against BYU. That versatility has come in handy as Arkansas deals with some injuries.

Pittman acknowledged the job Clark has done at both positions and talked about the level of toughness it takes to do that at such a high level.

“First of all, you have to be tough,” Pittman said. “You have to stay on the field. And I’m not saying if you’re not on the field, you’re not tough. But you have to play with nicks and bruises and all those types [of] things. The second thing, you have to be very, very smart. Hudson, we’d like for him to continue to put on a little bit of weight, whether it’s at safety or whether it’s at corner.

“I’ll tell you what, he’s an accountable kid. He’s gotten better each and every year. He’s one of the most reliable guys we have on the team. We feel very comfortable to put him at either one of those spots.”