Arizona State’s Jordan Clark talks with Burn City Sports college insider Brendan Mau about his first media day experience and how it compares to the work his dad, Ryan Clark, does. Other topics discussed include ASU being ranked tenth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll, a new defensive system and more.
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Brendan: Jordan, how are you feeling at your first Pac-12 Media Day?
Jordan: It’s awesome, man. It’s a blessing to be here and get to represent my school, my teammates, my family. It’s been a great experience so far.
Brendan: Yeah, I know your dad’s in media, Ryan Clark. So how is this experience like? You’re like, ‘Dad, I’m like in the day of the life of you.’ How does that feel?
Jordan: Yeah, man, this is actually the one thing that my dad didn’t do in college, you know, he was All-SEC, all that stuff, but he didn’t come to media day. So it’s a dope experience I’m kind of doing it for the both of us and following his footsteps a little bit.
Brendan: Yeah, so I know, the Pac-12 media poll, had you guys at No. 10. Do you guys feel like that’s undervalued? Or do you feel like it’s hard to rank you because of how new you guys are?
Jordan: Yeah, I mean, ultimately, I don’t really get into all that stuff. I think that we’re much better than 10th, but at the end of the day, man, they’re gonna spot the ball, they’re gonna blow the whistle, we’re gonna figure it out. So I don’t really pay attention to all that stuff, I’m just really excited to have the opportunity to play with my teammates here.
Brendan: So I mean, I know you chose to stay at ASU and that you talked a lot about that. But how has it been under your new defensive coordinator (Brian Ward)? How’s it compared to the past?
Jordan: It’s been awesome with Coach Ward. He’s a natural teacher, and his system creates chaos. And I think that that’s what’s gonna help us win games, what’s gonna help us be effective on defense, ultimately, and I think it’s gonna be a brand of football that people are gonna enjoy watching. I love playing.
Brendan: This is your sixth year here, so has it felt like your leadership has just evolved or you feel like you’ve been a leader for like, a few years now? Or how’s that work now in the era of transfers and all that?
Jordan: Yeah, I mean, I think that what I offer to the team is kind of just a familiarity. I’ve said I’ve been here for a while, (so) new guys coming in can kind of talk to me about what the culture is and what the standards are, but ultimately coach is bringing in good guys. He’s bringing like minded guys, who are here to work, here to win. So it’s really not even a leadership role. I’d say I think we all hold each other accountable. And it’s been it’s been good.
Brendan: Thank you so much Jordan.
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on Twitter via @Brendan_Mau
