UCLA football recruiting: scouting take on tight end Chris Clark

Suddenly losing Alize Jones to Notre Dame doesn't seem as nearly as big of a deal as it looked like at the time.

That's what happens when you replace a blue chip tight end in your recruiting class with another blue chip tight end. Chris Clark is a huge get for Jim Mora in a recruiting battle won over Jim Harbaugh and Michigan.

What kind of player are the Bruins getting in Clark?

Chris Clark - 4 star tight end

Clark does not play the highest level of competition in Connecticut, but his talent is obvious starting with his size. At 6'6" and around 250 pounds, he is already built like a college tight end. It's a bit scary because he still has some physical maturing to do, which means he is going to be a beast physically at UCLA after a couple of years in their strength and conditioning program.

He has good speed to go with that size. Enough speed to threaten up the seam and be a tough player for linebackers to cover one on one. His hands are outstanding. He is a natural hands catcher that will go up and get the football and use his body to shield off defenders. He adjusts very well to poorly thrown balls and his body control is impressive for a player his size.

The one area that he really needs to improve on is as a blocker. He is not as dominating a presence as you would expect with a player his size. Right now he seems better suited as an h-back type that executes wham blocks rather than an in-line tight end that can handle a defensive end. A lot of it has to do with technique though and his ability to fit his hands and sustain blocks. He is willing in the run game, so hopefully there will be significant improvement in this area for him.

Clark is one of the top tight ends in the 2015 recruiting class and he has the potential to develop into an all-conference level player for the Bruins.