Landen Clark took a trip to North Carolina last weekend for his third visit to Elon University.
That visit gave him a more in-depth look at the school and its football program, and that鈥檚 when he decided where he鈥檇 start his college career.
The Radford High School quarterback announced his commitment to Elon on Friday evening, just a few hours before leading the Bobcats to their first undefeated regular season in 37 years.
鈥淎fter talking with my family and my head coach, we all made the decision that that was the right place for me,鈥 Clark told the Times. 鈥淎nd I think it鈥檚 the best place for me to hopefully be successful one day.鈥
I am extremely honored and blessed to announce my COMMITMENT to Elon University where I will pursue my academic and athletic career. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way.
鈥 Landen Clark (@_landenclark)
After bursting onto the scene last year with a 2,900-passing yard, 44-touchdown junior campaign, Clark garnered offers from a handful of Division I programs, including FBS school Old Dominion, Maine and VMI. His offer from Elon came in early August.
People are also reading…
The 6-foot, 190-pound senior said he chose the FCS school, located about 20 miles east of Greensboro, North Carolina, and around 150 miles southeast of Radford, for its 鈥済orgeous鈥 campus and the football program鈥檚 principles of attitude, effort, and discipline.
Bobcats head coach Michael Crist said Clark also respected the coaches鈥 transparency when it came to his recruitment.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a dream of his, as is the case with most kids, and he鈥檚 had the talent and the skill set to be recruited at the highest level,鈥 Crist said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a long process, going through recruiting, and there鈥檚 some ups and downs through it, so to see him find his place is just awesome as a coach.鈥
Radford quarterback Landen Clark is pictured during a Sept. 30 game against Glenvar in Salem.
Clark has amassed 48 offensive touchdowns through 10 games this season, tallying 28 through the air against three interceptions along with 133 completions and more than 2,200 yards. He鈥檚 also scored 20 touchdowns on the ground and run for nearly 800 yards with an average of nearly 11 yards per carry.
He will be joining Elon as a quarterback, having also put up strong numbers as a defensive back (six interceptions this season, three returned for touchdowns). He said that to be a successful collegiate signal-caller, he鈥檒l continuously have to rise to the occasion.
鈥淧laying quarterback at the next level, I鈥檒l have to do that, dealing with all the pressure,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f stuff doesn鈥檛 go as planned, the quarterback may get blamed, but I think it鈥檒l help me in the long run with my mindset and how I go about things.鈥
Crist said Clark鈥檚 abilities are not only what鈥檚 led to his Division I commitment, but his hunger for success.
鈥淎s good as his skill set is, I think his competitive desire to win is a separator for him,鈥 Crist said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 ultra-competitive and he loves to win at anything he does.鈥
Elon went 8-4 overall last year, 6-2 in the Coastal Athletic Association, and reached the first round of the FCS playoffs. The Phoenix are 4-4 overall and 4-1 in the CAA this season.
