Khairi Clark: Selflessness doesn’t show in the stats

Florida Gators defensive tackle Khairi Clark’s name wasn’t blared over the speakers at The Swamp too many times on Saturday and he wasn’t praised by commentators on SEC Network, but according to Jim McElwain, the redshirt sophomore was the defensive player of the game.

Khairi Clark has gone through a complete body transformation since arriving to campus for his freshman year. He lost about 15 pounds and now he has gained it back in muscle. This season he looks better than ever and has built the stamina to play more snaps for the Gators, as he did on Saturday.

“He’s changed his body,” said defensive line coach Chris Rumph. “He’s gotten stronger and he’s also gotten quicker. Happy for him. He works hard and it’s important to him.”

As a nose tackle, Clark is not a guy whose play shows up in the stats. He only had one tackle against UMass, but what he did do was maintain gap control and allow his teammates to make the big plays. “He does a good job for the defense, and a lot of times it doesn’t show up on the stats because it’s not sexy, but he does a great job,” said Rumph.

“You’ve got to be gap sound, and what he does he holds point, he knows where he’s supposed to be, and he’s disciplined about doing it,” said McElwain.

Clark is a guy who works day in and day out without expecting much recognition, but it felt good for him to hear all of the things his coaches had to say about his performance on Saturday. “Someone like me as a nose tackle, we don’t really get that much praise and it always feels good to get that praise from Coach Mac,” said Clark. “We probably work the hardest on the defense.”

He knows a lot of times his work will go unnoticed, and a lot of guys would be selfish in the position he is in, but Clark has completely bought into his duties. “He does a lot of the grimy stuff,” said Rumph. “He’s down on the front line, he’s taking on two blockers and holding gaps and allowing other people to make plays. He’s bought into that role and he’s doing a good job of it.”

Senior nose tackle, Joey Ivie knows the selflessness it takes to play the position. He has been a guy for Clark to look up to and along the way, Ivie has had a front row seat to see the growth Clark has made. “It’s neat seeing him improve and get better throughout camp,” Ivie said. “Just being able to give him tips and watching him improve and get better every day. It doesn’t just help himself, it helps me and it helps the rest of the d-line and the rest of the defense.”

Kentucky and their run game will be a greater test for Clark and the rest of the defensive line this week. “They’re real mobile with the running game, you know they move a lot of their o-linemen around when they run, so we’ve gotta be able to move around and keep our gaps as they move,” said Clark.

The Wildcats allowed four sacks against Southern Miss in their season opener. If Clark can continue opening up holes for Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone, the Gators should get to the quarterback a lot this Saturday.

Clark has prepared to take on a much bigger role for Florida this season and hopes more people will know his name soon. Until his time comes, he will continue working when no one is watching.

Bailiegh Carlton
A lifelong sports fan, Bailiegh Carlton knew from a young age that she wanted to work in sports in some capacity. Before transferring to the University of Florida to study journalism, she played softball at Gulf Coast State College. She then interned for Gator Country for three years as she worked toward her degree. After graduation, Bailiegh decided to explore other opportunities in the world of sports, but all roads led her right back here. In her time away, she and her husband welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. When she isn't working, she can almost always be found snuggled up with sweet baby Ridley, Cody and her four fur babies.