Jacob Clark (born November 1, 2000) is an American professional football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Missouri State Bears.
Early life
Clark was born on November 1, 2000, in Kansas City, Missouri.[1] He attended Rockwall High School in Texas where he played football as a quarterback and was the District 11 Offensive Player of the Year in his senior season.[1] He threw for 2,937 yards and 29 touchdowns while running for seven touchdowns as a junior and posted 3,295 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns as a senior.[1][2] Clark, ranked a four-star recruit and a top-15 pro-style quarterback recruit, finished his high school career with 6,232 passing yards and 60 touchdowns.[1] He committed to play college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.[3]
College career
As a true freshman in 2019, Clark appeared in one game for the Golden Gophers and completed a pass for 39 yards.[4] He saw no playing time in the next two seasons.[4] In 2020, he was selected Academic All-Big Ten Conference.[1] In 2022, Clark transferred to the Missouri State Bears.[4] He threw for 72 yards as a backup in 2022 before winning the starting job in 2023, throwing for 1,018 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions before an injury ended his season.[1]
Clark returned from injury in 2024 and started every game, becoming a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player at the NCAA Division I FCS level.[5] He completed 262 of 373 passes for 3,604 yards and 26 touchdowns with six interceptions, being named first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), placing third in voting for the conference Player of the Year award, and setting Missouri State records for single-season completions, passing yards and touchdowns.[1][6] Clark returned to Missouri State, now in Conference USA of the FBS, for his final season in 2025.[7] He started 12 games and was named honorable mention All-Conference USA while throwing for 3,244 yards and 28 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, again breaking the school record for single-season touchdown passes.[1] Clark led the Bears to an appearance in the 2025 Xbox Bowl and finished his college career as the school’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns with 64.[1] At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he was invited to The American Bowl, where he led his team’s game-winning drive and was named Offensive MVP.[8]
Professional career
After going unselected in the 2026 NFL draft, Clark signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i “Jacob Clark”. Missouri State Bears. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
- ^ Johnson, Randy (June 6, 2018). “Texas quarterback Jacob Clark commits to Gophers for Class of 2019”. Star Tribune.
- ^ Greder, Andy (December 17, 2018). “Gophers quarterback commit Jacob Clark impressed where it’s toughest: Texas”. Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
- ^ a b c Wheeler, Wyatt D. (January 12, 2022). “Minnesota QB Jacob Clark to transfer to Missouri State football”. Springfield News-Leader.
- ^ Collingwood, Ryan (November 26, 2024). “Missouri State quarterback Jacob Clark named Walter Payton Award finalist”. Springfield Daily Citizen.
- ^ Collingwood, Ryan (August 28, 2025). “Jacob Clark started his college career in the Big Ten. Missouri State’s star quarterback returns against USC older, wiser and better”. Springfield Daily Citizen.
- ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. (December 15, 2025). “Why Jacob Clark stayed to become a Missouri State football legend”. Springfield News-Leader.
- ^ Collingwood, Ryan (January 23, 2026). “‘It was a lot of fun’: How Missouri State quarterback Jacob Clark earned MVP at the American Bowl”. Springfield Daily Citizen.
- ^ Collingwood, Ryan (April 25, 2026). “Former Missouri State quarterback Jacob Clark signs with Las Vegas Raiders”. Springfield Daily Citizen.