Temple Tough: London-Born Peter Clarke Looks Ahead To His Junior Year With The Owls

By Simon Carroll

By the time the Temple Owls suit up for their first game of the 2025 season against UMass on August 30th, Peter Clarke will be kicking off his third year of college football. But whereas the majority of his teammates will have had a conventional journey to that point – one that includes immersing themselves in the sport from a young age before starring under the Friday Night Lights for an American high school team – Clarke has a different story to tell. And it began 3,500 miles away, on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean:

“As a kid, I grew up in South London. Whilst I was at secondary school, the Jacksonville Jaguars had a program called ‘JagTag’, a variation of flag football that they launched across schools to grow the popularity amongst kids. My school was lucky enough to be the pilot program for it, so I played a few sessions there and immediately fell in love with the game. That was the start of it really – I ended up going down to the Warriors and learning the game under coach Tony Allen. I just fell in love with it. I played U17 flag, U17 and U19 contact, and then moved on to the NFL Academy.”

Whereas an indoctrination into football is guaranteed for children in America, in other parts of the world it largely relies on fortune. So it was for Clarke, who took his chance encounter with the sport and turned it into an all-consuming obsession. Working his way up the age groups, he immersed himself in the game – familiarising himself with every position:

“U17 Contact is five-on-five, and you have to do it all. I played receiver, safety, lineman, quarterback – everywhere. So I was kind of able to pick up a range of skills across different positions, and just have fun playing the game. That was where my passion came from – the very beginning. It all began in a fun place, and because of that foundation of love for the sport it became easy to just carry on doing it.”

Clarke is a shining example of where passion and determination meets ability. He possessed all the tools to play football – still a niche but growing sport in this country. And the fairly young NFL Academy was on hand to help focus those skills into one position:

“I was just bigger than everybody. I was 6’4”, 200+ lbs, and it was kind of the simple conclusion for the NFL Academy when I first got there. They knew I was big and athletic, so tight end made too much sense. And ever since then, the rest is history.”

Academy Development & Recruiting Interest

Go back 15, 20 years, and football was a closed shop. The minor smattering of international players at either the College or NFL level in the States was more happenstance than by design. Today, the sport is officially global. And the NFL Academy, based in Loughborough, is at the forefront of football’s thirst for talent from every corner of the world. The NFL Academy has slowly become an established pipeline to the college game in America, with programs stateside acutely aware of the talent they develop. But three years ago Peter Clarke, along with names like Kofi Taylor-Barrocks and Freddie Pelling, were the pioneers of Academy graduates looking for scholarship offers from the US. Clarke was determined to make his dream a reality, doing everything he could to get on the radar of coaches:

“I knew this is what I wanted to do, my ticket to get out of where I was from and make something of myself. So I took my recruitment seriously from the start. I was emailing, texting, messaging, adding people on twitter – every day pumping out content of me playing and trying to grab attention. I finally got some interest from one school – UTSA; they got me on a Zoom call, offered me a scholarship there and then, and it literally changed my life. That one offer created a domino effect, and all of a sudden loads of schools were paying attention to me.”

Clarke would spend two and a half years at the NFL Academy, honing his craft and benefitting from some of the best coaching outside of America. But it was only a couple of months into his time there that his recruitment marketing paid off and the offer from the Roadrunners materialised. From that point, the dream was within reach – and Clarke would head stateside to help ramp up interest:

“A few schools had pulled the trigger, but not a lot. But then you go out to football camps in America, which are basically like trials. You go out there, do drills, one-on-ones and showcase what you can do. Schools go to each other’s camps, and I was lucky enough to be at a couple of big ones. Coaches were there that I had already built up a relationship with through my relentless reaching out – and once they saw me in person back up what they had already seen online, the offers started flooding in.”

Choosing Temple

Peter Clarke’s drive for a college career was beginning to bear fruit. Armed with a handful of offers, it was time to make a decision – to commit to a school he would call home for the next four years of his life. In the end, one program stood out amongst all others – one that offered an environment Clarke knew he could thrive in:

“I took a few visits to some of the schools that offered me. You learn what their offense looks like, how they’re gonna use you, how they’re gonna develop you. What’s their culture like? What do the people around you bring to the program? I took all that information to weed out some programs I didn’t feel were a great fit and created a shortlist. But ultimately, for me, the culture at Temple was really tough and gritty – something that’s a lot like where I was from. The city of Philadelphia is a lot like London, very much like home and comfortable for me. And the coaching staff there at the time were great people. I knew I would be in safe hands.”

Giving a little insight into the fickle world of college football recruiting, Clarke navigated the process with a clarity befitting someone twice his age. Whilst other young recruits may be romanticised and swayed by blue chip football powerhouses, Clarke’s priorities were steadfast – a commitment was a two-way deal, and he wasn’t going to compromise. Temple University showed that commitment from the start, and never wavered:

“Being a European kid, some schools were scared to take the shot. I was being recruited by top programs all across the country, schools that were playing for conference championships and in the playoffs. But despite the attention, the daily check-ins, they were nervous about offering me until late in the process. For me there were schools that really wanted me, and ones that were unsure. And I wanted to go to a place that loved me. So any big schools that came in late in the day, I didn’t pay much attention to. Temple was there all the way.”

A Seamless Transition

Back home in London during the offseason, Peter Clarke has two years of college football under his belt and is fully aware of what he will face once he returns to Philadelphia for his Junior season. Affable and well-spoken, he exudes a calmness when he talks of his journey so far, and a steeliness regarding things still to achieve. Looking back to his first year on campus in 2023, Clarke maintains that the transition from Loughborough to Lincoln Financial Field was fairly smooth:

“The NFL Academy prepares you really well for college football. The way they schedule their program, the demands they place upon you back home, I was ready. I didn’t struggle to adapt to life in Philadelphia at all. The only difference when I went to Temple was the level of football. That was it. My daily routine was the same – I lived away from home, I did football, I did weight room, I looked after my body and I went to class. It was a routine I already thrived in, just at a higher level.”

That transitional ease is a testament to both Clarke’s character and the work the NFL Academy does in preparing their graduates for college football life. On the field, Clarke has made his mark; although you can feel an element of frustration that he may have had a bigger impact if circumstances were different. Nevertheless, there’s a tangible confidence that 2025 is going to be his best year at Temple to date:

“I’ve been unlucky with some injuries in my early time in Philly; some broken bones restricting me. Other times I was asked to play hurt as the team was suffering so many injuries elsewhere. So they’d limit my involvement in the passing game, but you’d see me out there in short-yardage or redzone situations where it’s lower impact and I didn’t have to run as far. But as a run blocker, that’s where I make most of my money. I’m 6’6”, 265 lbs now, and I can use that size and athleticism to be a force in the run game. My growth has been steady, and I’m ready to use those skills in a very similar way with this new coaching staff.”

Clarke has five catches on his resume in two years – alluding to his primary use in the run game. But if there was a hint of what’s to come, it’s this – of those five receptions, three have been for touchdowns. Clarke is a weapon ready to break out – and he’s confident that his own maturation will coincide with success for his team too:

“You look at our conference, and it is incredibly competitive. Temple went 3-9 the past couple of years, but analyse the games and the majority of them were lost by just one or two scores. And that’s against some good teams. I don’t think Temple is far from competing for a conference championship – and our goal is always going to be to win a championship. None of this targeting a bowl game – you can win six games and go to a bowl game. That’s not good enough for us. We’re gonna win a hell of a lot of games, challenge for that championship – and we’ll get a bowl game as a by-product.”

Owls About To Take Flight?

The UK & US cultures are different in many ways, but one on a sporting level is the willingness to aim high when it comes to targets. Whereas your typical Londoner may be more cautious with aspirations, Peter Clarke has embraced a more American outlook. A college career is short, and there’s no time for a slow-build; as mentioned, anything other than a conference title in 2025 will be considered a disappointment. And as Clarke says, who knows what doors winning the American Athletic Conference could open?

“You win our conference, and you do it well? You’re probably playing in the College Football Playoff.”

To do that, they’ll have to hit the ground running under a new coaching regime. KC Keeler comes over to Philadelphia after more than a decade at Sam Houston State, establishing the Bearkats as an FBS program. Clarke is excited for what Temple can achieve with their new head coach, even if for himself it’s taking care of business as usual:

“I’ve seen some changes. The style of practice, the way we approach practice, our strength coach and the philosophies behind that. And just how the coaches interact with us, their approach to the culture and long-term goals is slightly different. Coaches are people, and in any relationship you’re learning about each other and building up that working relationship, which we did over the Spring. But I’ve got that same confidence in them that I did with the previous coaching staff. With Coach Keeler and Coach Walker, we’re in great hands.”

Clarke’s reference to new offensive coordinator Coach Tyler Walker is interesting, who was the architect of an explosive Montana State offense the last few years. Brought in to run the Owls’ offense under Coach Keeler, Clarke is confident he will have a big role to play under his new OC:

“Coach Walker’s offense is tight end orientated. We’re the point of attack for a lot of different things, and I want to be at the forefront of that. My goal for this year is to be as useful as I can be, to be as available as I can be. I want to allow the coaching staff to use my talent to put us in the best position to win football games.”

The Ultimate Goal

Peter Clarke is one of the NFL Academy’s many success stories – and there will be a lot more to come as the game grows and the international relationships develop further. He’s only halfway through his time at Temple, with a laser-like focus on his short and long-term goals with The Owls. But it’s called the NFL Academy for a reason – and when I broach the question, there’s not a shred of doubt in his mind about where his football journey ends. Perhaps it’s fitting that a chance encounter with an initiative brought about by the Jacksonville Jaguars, that has led to a college career at the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, could end up with someone from South London donning the famous shield and playing football on Sundays? Clarke expects nothing less:

“I will play in the NFL. I tell myself that every single day. I love this sport – there’s nothing else for me, so there’s nothing else I’m working towards. If I can see it and I can believe it, I know I’ll make it to the NFL.”

A huge thank you to Peter for taking the time to talk to The Touchdown. Follow the NFL Academy @nflacademy across X, Instagram, and TikTok to keep up with the latest news and announcements.

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SIMON CARROLL

LEAD WRITER/HEAD OF CONTENT

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST, AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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