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Get To Know Your Orange Man - No. 72, NT Steven Clark

Let's get to know one of the members of Syracuse's least experienced unit, the defensive line.

By John Orsenigo
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Name: Steven Clark

Position: Nose Tackle

Year: Sophomore

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 311

Hometown: Arab, Ala.

High School: Brindlee Mountain

2015 Stats: As a true freshman, Clark saw action in all 12 games last season. He was one of 15 true freshman to play for the Orange. Overall, he made 21 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. Against Louisville, Clark recovered two fumbles, becoming the first SU defender to do so in the same game since Arthur Jones did it against USF in 2009.

2016 Projections: Clark is currently listed as the Syracuse Orange's backup to Kayton Samuels at the nose tackle position. There's so much uncertainty on the defensive line heading into the 2016 season, so at this point it's a real guessing game. Whether Clark is the backup or the starter, though, he'll see the field in every game again this season, though.

How'd He Get Here: Clark had quite the back-and-forth recruitment period. He originally committed to South Alabama before flipping to the Orange. He wasn't done, though, as Florida swooped in with a late offer. Re-openening his recruitment, he took an official visit to Gainesville. While he did put a lot of consideration into it all, Clark eventually decided on sticking with Syracuse.

What'd Scout/Rivals Say: Rivals gave him two stars, while everyone else said three. Thanks, everyone else. Also, with schools like Florida sniffing around, you can usually take a guess at which number's more accurate (or if the figure should be even higher).

Links of Wonder: Last year, Syracuse's annual trip to Fort Drum took on extra meaning for Clark. Syracuse.com profiled the story about Clark and his cousin, Bradley Lykins, who was stationed at Fort Drum and shipped out to Iraq about a month after Syracuse's stay. For the cousins, it was a reunion and, for the time being, a goodbye. It's a cool story that provides some insight into Clark's childhood and his close relationship with his cousin.

Twitterfeed: @SLClark7250

Tweets of Wonder:

Kid loves his mom, and if that's not wonderful, I don't know what is.

What Does The Coaching Staff Think of Him: During spring practice, Dino Babers commented that the defensive lineman, especially because they are all so young and inexperienced, are going to need to get stronger in the offseason. Clark is one of those young and relatively-inexperienced linemen, so we assume he falls under the umbrella of Babers's comments. No harm in that.

Interesting Nugget O'Interest: Steven Clark is actually the first player from Brindlee Mountain High School to play Division I football. One reason for this? His high school team didn't start a football program until 2006.

Let's Get A Good Look Athca:

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