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Notre Dame nickel back Jordan Clark signs with New York Jets as undrafted free agent

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•04/26/25•

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Notre Dame corner Jordan Clark celebrates a PBU vs. Penn State. (Photo by Chad Weaver/BGI)

One of Notre Dame’s first moves after the 2023 season was bringing in graduate transfer nickel back Jordan Clark from Arizona State. Clark rewarded the Irish with a standout season, and the NFL rewarded him with a shot to make a roster.

Clark signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft, which saw six Notre Dame players selected. He follows former Irish nickel back Thomas Harper on the graduate transfer nickel to UDFA path, and Harper stuck on the Las Vegas Raiders’ active roster throughout the 2024 season.

The son of longtime NFL safety and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, Jordan Clark had his best year of college football in a blue-and-gold uniform. He was incredibly difficult to throw on in the slot, allowing 34 receptions on 54 targets for 308 yards (5.7 yards per attempt) and only 1 touchdown.

Clark also made 36 tackles and broke up 6 passes, according to Pro Football Focus. The 5-foot-9, 184-pound nickel back allowed only 9.1 yards per reception, frequently tackling receivers short of the sticks on third down.

The Baton Rouge, La. native was a vital piece of the best pass-efficiency defense in the country. He finished the season with a career-high 83.2 PFF coverage grade, and he was also a strong run defender with 13 defensive stops (tackles that result in a failure for the offense).

“He’s a guy that had shown it at Arizona State to play multiple different positions, and I mean, the way he’s improved that room, I think that’s probably a bigger impact than anything,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said in March. “He came here to compete for championships and to put himself in a better opportunity to go to the NFL. But I think what he’s done for this program far exceeds that, and he’s made this program better, and we’re dang glad that he’s a part of our defense.”

Clark was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but he participated in Notre Dame’s Pro Day. He ran the 40-yard dash at Notre Dame’s Pro Day, clocking in at 4.64. He also jumped 10-foot-4 in the broad jump and 36.5 inches in the vertical jump, alongside a short shuttle time of 4.34 and a three-cone time of 7.33.

Clark’s testing results came out to a subpar relative athletic score of 3.16, which was likely a factor in his status as an undrafted free agent. However, it doesn’t diminish his value for Notre Dame as a sticky coverage nickel, which he hopes will translate to an NFL roster spot.

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