Former Kentucky QB Danny Clark opts out of season at Vanderbilt

ZGeogheganKSR

The entire Vanderbilt Football team probably should have just opted out before the season even began.

Former Kentucky quarterback Danny Clark, who transferred to junior college after two seasons in Lexington and then committed to Vanderbilt, has decided to opt-out for the remainder of the Commodores season, according to head coach Derek Mason. The reasoning for Clark’s decision has not been disclosed.

Derek Mason said QB Danny Clark has opted out of the season after three games and QB Mike Wright will be available to play next week.

— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) October 31, 2020

Clark had yet to take a snap through Vandy’s first three games and was left off the depth chart this past Saturday in the team’s 54-21 loss to Ole Miss, dropping the ‘Dores to 0-4 on the year. The team hadn’t played since Oct. 10 following a series of positive COVID-19 tests that forced scheduling rearrangements. Heading into the season, Clark was expected to compete for the starting quarterback position against another JUCO transfer and two true freshmen. The former Wildcat ultimately lost that battle to freshman Ken Seals, who has thrown for 730 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions through four games this season.

Signing with Kentucky back in Jan. of 2017, Clark was a highly-rated pro-style high school prospect. That being said, he spent most of his time with the ‘Cats as QB No. 3 behind Terry Wilson, Gunner Hoak, and Sawyer Smith, making just two on-field appearances before transferring to Copiah-Lincoln Community College located in Wesson, Mississippi.

Had Clark decided to remain with the team, he would have made his return to Lexington when Vandy comes to town on Nov. 14. However, he hadn’t seen the field up until this point, so odds are Clark wouldn’t even play in that outing. Either way, he still has two years of college eligibility remaining regardless of whether or not he plays this season, so opting out probably made sense from his perspective.

Either way, we wish him luck going forward.