Clark earns scholarship after 3 INT game
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FAYETTEVILLE — Fresh off a three-interception game against Ole Miss, Hudson Clark has learned he’ll be placed on scholarship in January.
Head coach Sam Pittman revealed in an interview on the SEC Network Monday morning that he called the redshirt freshman walk-on Sunday night to tell him the good news.
The Razorbacks are currently already at the 85-man limit for scholarships, but some should open up in January when seniors move on.
“I think he’s earned that and we’re awful happy to be able to do that,” Pittman said. “He was happy and excited and probably thought in his mind, ‘It’s about time.’ But we were happy to be able to give him a scholarship come January.”
Starting for a second straight week for the injured Montaric Brown, Clark had Arkansas’ first, third and sixth interceptions in Saturday’s 33-21 win over Ole Miss.
The Rebels’ quarterback, Matt Corral, had thrown only one interception in their first three games. When Clark came down with a jump ball intended for Elijah Moore, it snapped a streak of 78 consecutive attempts by Corral without an interception.
The three interceptions are tied for the second most ever by an Arkansas player in a single game and the most since Michael Grant also had three against ULM in 2006. The last time an Arkansas player had three interceptions against a conference opponent was 50 years ago, when David Hogue did it in a SWC showdown with SMU in 1970.
Since replacing Brown in the first half of the Mississippi State game, Clark has 14 tackles and a pass breakup to go along with the three picks.
“Well, they've heard of him now,” Pittman said in his postgame interview when told most fans had likely never heard of Clark two weeks ago. “Three times at least.”
Despite being a walk-on, Clark had a highly successful career at traditional powerhouse Highland Park in Dallas. He helped the Scots win three straight Texas Class 6A-Division I state championships and was a team captain his senior year, when he made nine interceptions.
Also an exemplary student, Clark is on track to graduate early from the Walton College of Business.
Because he’s been in the program longer than a year, Clark will not be considered one of Arkansas’ 25 “initial counters” in the 2021 recruiting class. Instead, he’ll just count toward the overall limit of 85 next season.