RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Florida defensive back Kanye Clark spoke to the media Tuesday during the Gators' first full week of fall camp.
The UCLA transfer discussed his path from turning down scholarship offers to walking on with the Bruins, eventually earning a scholarship and deciding to bet on himself again by transferring to Florida. Clark also detailed his adjustment to the SEC, his role at STAR in defensive coordinator Brad White’s scheme and the competition within Florida’s secondary.
Clark also touched on his gains in the weight room, competing against Florida’s receivers, his impressions of Jayden Woods and LJ McCray and taking freshman Dylan Purter under his wing.
Here’s everything Clark had to say.
What was your transfer process like, and how did the Florida staff reach out to you?
All right, well, first of all, thank you for bringing me up here. I hope you guys are all doing well. My transfer process, it was pretty smooth. This was my first visit and only visit. I came to Florida, so once I came up here, as soon as I got here, I knew I wanted to come here.
What were some of the most appealing factors about coming to Florida?
Yeah, definitely coming to the SEC. That’s everybody’s dream as a child. So that’s what I wanted to do. And it was a new opportunity for me to show my ability at the highest level.
How did you go from Sacramento to walking on at UCLA despite having scholarship offers?
I’m from a smaller city in Sacramento. Not a lot of looks out there. I had around 15 offers coming out of high school, but I passed up all of those to walk on at UCLA. So I just wanted to bet on myself and prove what I could do on the field.
What was the biggest scholarship offer you turned down to walk on at UCLA?
Some other Pac-12 schools. Washington State, probably.
What did you do to prove to UCLA’s coaches that you belonged at that level?
I think I just showed my work ethic every day, being a leader on and off the field, showing them my abilities on the field, and just put my head down and continued to work.
Does it feel like you have to prove yourself again at Florida?
In a sense, yeah. I feel like I always have to prove myself. Being a walk-on, I always remember that. And coming from the West Coast to the SEC, I always feel like I have to prove myself.
What has the adjustment to Florida’s climate been like?
Not that bad of an adjustment. I’m from Arizona, so I’ve been in a lot of heat before.
Where does your mentality as a big hitter come from despite your size?
Just always being seen as a smaller guy kind of fuels me on the field. So I like to go hit people and show them that the size doesn’t matter.
What do you think your role can be in this defense?
I have a really big role in this defense. Coach is putting me in the correct positions to make plays and do the best I can do for this team.
Is STAR where you have been working?
Yes, that’s where I’ve been working, at STAR.
What do you like about playing STAR?
I like that it shows my versatility as a player, being able to guard people one-on-one in the slot and also being able to show up in the box and blitz off the edge and whatnot.
What were offseason workouts like for you?
It was just another opportunity for me to show my work ethic and show what I could do in the weight room, to transfer that onto the field. It was challenging at first, but once we all came together and worked together as a unit, we got through it pretty easily.
What has Florida’s strength and conditioning program done for you?
The strength program was great here. I’ve made a lot of improvements with my weights and whatnot and got a lot stronger. I was able to power clean 315. I was able to deadlift 525. I was able to single-leg squat 405. Bench press 315. So a lot of improvement.
Were some of those numbers big jumps for you?
Real big jumps.
How much do you weigh right now?
I’m weighing at 186.
What has been your most meaningful moment in college football?
In college football, obviously getting a scholarship back at UCLA. That was my most meaningful moment in college. After my first year, I was able to get put on scholarship.
Do you still feel like you have a lot to prove on the field?
I still have a lot to prove for myself.
How did UCLA tell you that you had earned a scholarship?
We were in the team meeting room, and he had shown all my clips from practice from that previous day. And he said, "Come down here," and, "I’d like to offer you a scholarship."
Were you emotional when you learned you had earned a scholarship?
Not really emotional. I don’t really show a lot of emotion like that in front of people. But it was good. It was good seeing all the hard work paid off for that to happen.
When did you earn your scholarship?
That happened in 2024, going into my second year of college.
How did your family react when you earned the scholarship?
They were all proud of me. I mean, they know that I went to UCLA to prove myself and show what I could do. So it all paid off.
What positions did you play at UCLA?
At UCLA, I played safety, corner and nickel. I played all three and rotated between all three.
How have those coverage skills carried over to playing STAR at Florida?
Yeah, it’s been carrying over great. I mean, it’s a way for me to show my versatility, like I said, so that I could guard slots, tight ends and be in the box as well.
What was it like going from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten and dealing with all the travel?
Travel wasn’t bad. I mean, the flights were long, but just sleep on the plane and get up ready to go.
How unique was traveling so much in the Big Ten, and are you looking forward to playing more games in closer proximity?
Yeah, I mean, it wasn’t that bad of an experience. Obviously, the flights are all over five hours, four or five hours. So it was a lot of traveling, but sleep on the plane and I felt good afterwards.
What are some of the biggest differences between the UCLA and Florida locker rooms?
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