In a move that shocked almost no one, Robert Clark went public with one of the worst-kept secrets in the recruiting world – that he would make the switch from West Virginia to Florida – on Wednesday night, following a visit by Florida head coach Urban Meyer to Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens.
Meyer stopped by to watch the Panthers continue preparations for Saturday’s Class 4A championship game at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, where Dwyer will take on Niceville at 1 p.m. for the right to take home the most coveted of trophies in high school sports.
According to Clark, there wasn’t much to the commitment process, at he had let Florida coaches know he was pretty much in from the moment he received an offer from the Gators approximately two weeks ago.
“I told him ‘I’m a Gator,’” Clark said of the exchange between himself and Meyer. “He said, ‘Welcome to the family.’”
In committing to Florida, Clark backed off a long-standing commitment to West Virginia, which he made back in July. However, recent developments in Morgantown caused some second-thoughts his part.
“(West Virginia Associate Head Coach) Doc Holliday was a big influence on my decision,” Clark said.
Reports broke on Wednesday that Holliday would become the new head coach at Marshall, where he previously applied for the job in 2005.
It is expected that Clark will start out as a wide receiver and be given an opportunity to contribute in the return game at Florida. On the season, Clark has recorded 658 yards and 8 touchdowns on 28 receptions for Dwyer. Clark is ranked as a three-star prospect according to ESPN’s Scouts Inc.