Top recruit is a Harvard Man now

09-14-2006

By Jake Fisher, San Diego Hall of Champions Intern

Mike Clarke could have been lifting weights this summer at the University of Colorado, dreaming about playing on national television against Big 12 Conference rivals Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

Instead, the Scripps Ranch High graduate was in the Harvard University weight room preparing to tackle Ivy League academics and football. Clarke matched his 4.47-seconds time in the 40 with a grade-point average of 3.95. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound wide plans to major in economics while playing for Harvard, which opens its season Saturday at home against Holy Cross.

“My family and I decided to go with Harvard because of the endless opportunities after college,” said Clarke.

Clarke originally gave Colorado an oral commitment when offered a scholarship last year. But when Colorado head coach Gary Barnett was fired at the end of the 2005 season, he reassessed his priorities.

As a high school senior he was ranked as one of the top 100 recruits in the nation at his position. Clarke even benefited from the opportunity to train at a San Diego fitness club in the summer with Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush of USC and Helix High and former Chargers quarterback Drew Brees -- they are now New Orleans Saints teammates -- before he left for Harvard.

Clarke could have had his head in the clouds like many big-time college football recruits, but he didn’t. He looked rationally at the chances of becoming a professional and decided on the opportunities after football.

“I’ll take football as far as it can go,” said Clarke. “[Going to Harvard] definitely limits the opportunities, but there is still a chance.”

Ivy League players in the NFL are rare but there have been a few recent ones, including former Chargers defensive end Marcellus Wiley, who played at Columbia.

Right now Clarke’s goal is to make an impact for his new team. He arrived on campus six weeks early to enter a strength and conditioning program and familiarize himself with his new teammates, coaches and playbook.

“The coach said if I keep working like I have, I could be starting in our first game against Holy Cross,” said Clarke. “But there are no guarantees.”

There certainly are no guarantees, and Clarke knows that first hand from the recruiting process. Last fall, a time when most big-time recruits have decided where they will be attending college, Clarke was still searching for the right fit.

At one point Clarke was ahead of the game. His 45 catches for 1,006 yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior year earned him full-ride offers from numerous Division I-A schools. It looked like Clarke would be playing for Colorado until Colorado’s season ended with some embarrassing losses and Barnett was forced out.

“After Barnett and my position coach got fired, I felt uncomfortable,” explained Clarke. “The situation was chaotic and I decided it was not a good fit for me.”

Two other San Diegans, Cathedral Catholic running back Demetrius Sumler and Oceanside linebacker Justin Nonu, were recruited by Colorado’s new staff. But Clarke said he did not feel assured when he was told by the new staff he was a “primary target.”

After breaking ties with Colorado, Clarke went back on the market and still had Division I-A options. He received offers from Kansas State, Cal, and Nevada, but he decided that Harvard the best future for him.

Sergio Diaz, who has been coaching at Scripps Ranch for ten years, supports Clarke’s decision.

“I am proud of Mike for choosing Harvard over a scholarship to a bigger school,” said Diaz. “I think that as Mike was going through the entire recruiting process, he began to recognize the uncertainty of everything and wanted to go with something stable and secure.”

That stability was a Harvard education.

Most people in Clarke’s position would have been too eager to play in the spotlight to turn down a full-ride to Colorado or another Division I-A program. But Clarke believes he chose a brighter future.