‘Hi, I’m Noah Clark’: Top NC high school football recruit stays true to Durham roots

Jordan High’s football players gathered in a team huddle encircling head coach Antonio King on Monday as practice ended. King offered final comments to the 3-1 Falcons preparing to play host on Friday to unbeaten Millbrook (4-0).

As the players broke from the circle and walked back to their locker room amid the usual teenage prattle, one kid loomed larger than others — 6-foot-3, 300-pound junior Noah Clark.

He’s a third-year starting lineman on both sides of the ball despite turning 16 years old only a month ago.

You read that correctly: Clark was playing varsity football as a freshman a month after he turned 14.

On this day Clark has been told by King in the post-practice huddle he has a reporter waiting for him. As Clark approaches the visitor to practice, he smiles and sticks out his hand.

“Hi. I’m Noah Clark.”

As if he needed to introduce himself.

No one on the team is bigger — figuratively or literally. Opponents make it part of their game plan to identify him. He’s ranked a 4-star defensive tackle with 26 scholarship offers. College recruiters are targeting him. In the Class of 2026, Rivals.com ranks him the No. 16 defensive tackle nationally and the No. 13 player in North Carolina overall.

“South Carolina was the first school to offer him and Georgia the second,” King said. “After Georgia, the floodgates opened.”

The scholarship count includes all three Triangle schools — hometown Duke, NC State and North Carolina. Other ACC schools include Virginia Tech, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Louisville.

Top-ranked Texas, which replaced Georgia as No. 1 two weeks ago in the Associated Press poll, has offered along with three more Top 10 teams — No. 6 Tennessee, No. 8 Miami and No. 10 Penn State.

“He’s an outstanding kid from a great family,” King said. “He’s what you want in your athletes. You can set your clock by him — he’s never late and never misses practice. He loves the game of football.”

But Clark has managed to remain a humble kid. He credits his mindset to his parents, Jeff and Loryn Clark, and brothers — they’re older brothers, not big brothers —Jeff Clark II and Tyler Clark.

“I haven’t changed, and I don’t want to change,” Noah said. “I just want to be a normal kid. I just want to be myself. My brothers played here. When I was a little kid, I wanted to be like them.”

Jeff II, who is 14 years older, went on to play receiver at UNC-Pembroke. Tyler played alongside Noah on Jordan’s line the past two seasons. He’s now a 6-3, 285-pound freshman at North Carolina Central.

A year ago, Noah was part of a Jordan line alongside two seniors on their way to college — his brother Tyler and Matt McDonald, a 6-6, 300-pound freshman at Morgan State. Jordan’s Amarion Blue, who is committed to Eastern Michigan, ran behind them as a junior for 1,977 yards and 34 touchdowns. Through three games this season, Noah Clark and his new linemates have cleared the way for Blue to gain 377 yards with five touchdowns. He’s averaging 7.7 per carry and 125.7 per game.

Jordan finished 8-4 last season in its first year under King. It was the Falcons’ first winning season since 2019. King’s resume as a head coach includes winning an NC High School Athletic Association 4A state at Durham Hillside in 2010. After stints as an assistant coach at East Carolina and NC Central, he returned to the high school ranks at Jordan.

Although Tyler is now across town in college, Jeff II remains a daily influence as Jordan’s receivers coach.

“Jeff has been to college and teaches me a lot about life situations,” Noah said. “Tyler pushed me in practice when we played together and to play as hard as I can in games.”

Jeff imparts that same maturity and pride in Durham and Jordan with the Falcons’ players as with his younger brothers.

Clark is quick to cut off any questions about IMG Academy or any other suitors urging him to transfer.

“I just want to be here at Jordan,” he said.

A smile came across Jeff’s face — the type any teacher feels when recognizing the student understands the lesson.

“This is Durham,” Jeff said. “There’s always been talent here, and we want to keep it here. I let the kids know they can make it here. Noah isn’t the first big prospect to come out of here, and he won’t be the last.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM with the headline "‘Hi, I’m Noah Clark’: Top NC high school football recruit stays true to Durham roots."