A bigger, stronger and faster Waltez Clark primed for breakout senior season

TAMPA, FLORIDA — Four-star Florida Gators running back commit Waltez Clark of Tampa Plant is bigger, stronger and faster than he’s ever been. But will that lead to more success on the field? His coach at Plant, Hank Brown, certainly thinks so. And for that matter, so does Clark.

“Yeah, he really, really locked in this offseason with weights and conditioning,” Brown told Gators Online. “And working on speed in track, getting down to a 10.7 (in the 100 meters). He’s probably faster than that. So it’ll be interesting to see as he continues to develop and grow as a young man what he will become.”

Last season, Clark rushed for 476 yards and had 358 receiving yards despite missing some action with an ankle injury (and using up energy at linebacker). He carried the ball only 77 times and averaged 6.2 yards per rush. But this year, look for Clark to line up at running back more on offense.

“I’m excited to play wherever the team needs me,” Clark said. “Honestly. Everybody talks about my numbers because my numbers weren’t so high — because I got injured and I played a lot of receiver even though I was injured.”

Waltez Clark improved his speed this spring

Coming off a strong 2024 track season, Clark said that aforementioned speed is translating to the football field — even though he weighs slightly more than he did a year ago.

“I feel lighter on my feet,” Clark said. “I feel a little twitchy. … Everybody at practice talks about, ‘You’re moving too fast.”

While Clark, the No. 19 running back recruit in the country for the On3 Industry Rankings, will concentrate more on that position this fall, he also will continue to play defense. He had 50-plus tackles last season. Now in the 6-foot, 200-pound range, he’s capable of contributing at multiple positions on that side of the ball, which speaks to his overall versatility and skillset.

“He’ll be starting on defense, but that’s another one where you don’t know where it’ll be,” Brown said. “Whether it’s at linebacker, safety or corner. Again, the kid is such a unique athlete it allows him to play everything.”

***NOTE: You can watch our interviews with Clark and Brown, along with practice clips of Clark, up above this story.

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