Former Ohio State Commit Clark Phillips III Is Excited To Face Buckeyes In Rose Bowl
Dec 8, 2021, 6:32 PM
Clark Phillips III #8 of the Utah Utes knocks the ball away from Troy Franklin #11 of the Oregon Ducks during the third quarter of the PAC-12 Football Championship football game at Allegiant Stadium on December 03, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Utah Utes won 38-10. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Former Ohio State commit and current Utah Utes standout cornerback Clark Phillips III is excited to face the team that he was originally supposed to play with.
After winning their first Pac-12 Championship in school history and heading to their first ever Rose Bowl, Clark Phillips is excited to face the team that he originally committed to when coming out of high school.
Phillips joined The Hans and Scotty G. Show on The Zone Sports Network on Wednesday and discussed winning the Pac-12 Championship, facing the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl and an event he is hosting that will benefit the SLC community. You can listen to the full interview, below.
Clark Phillips III Facing Ohio State
Coming out of La Habra High School, Phillips was a four-star prospect. He became the highest rated recruit to sign with Utah in program history. But Phillips didn’t originally commit to the Utes as a recruit. After verbally committing to Ohio State on June 21, 2019, Phillips took nearly six months without taking another visit to any campuses.
He changed that when he had an official visit at Utah on December 14, 2019. Just five days later, Phillips de-committed from Ohio State and signed with the Utes on the same day during the early signing period.
“I was excited either way,” Phillips told The Zone Sports Network. “I didn’t really look into it that far. When I did hear that that there was a possibility of us playing Ohio State, I did get a little excited, I’m not gonna lie to you. But, in terms of looking forward to it, I was like, ‘man, I just want to make it to the Rose Bowl, I want to worry about this Pac-12 championship.’ Now that we got that all squared away now, I’m excited. Now, that we’ve got the buckeyes I’m like, ‘okay, let’s get up for it. It’s go time.”‘
Phillips feels like that he and the rest of the Utah football team will need to have the same mindset going into the Rose Bowl as they did in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
“I feel like this is going to be another couple of weeks where we’re gonna have to continue to tell ourselves, ‘hey, we’re gonna go out there and we’ll be champions, we’re gonna win this whole thing. The Rose Bowl, not just get there,'” Phillips stated. “There’s definitely some thought process going into that, especially being in the secondary on the defense. Definitely something that we want to make sure that we’re on the right track in terms of our mindset.”
Phillips, Teammates Giving Back To SLC Community
A couple of Utah football players are giving back to the community on Saturday, December 18 (subject to change). Phillips and running back T.J. Pledger are hosting a Toy Drive with the Boys and Girls Club of Salt Lake City.
Fans can send toys that are new and not gift-wrapped to the 1-800-GOT-JUNK office, located at 3669 W. 800 S. in Salt Lake City, Utah, Suite A. This is their way of giving back to the community that they have grown to love since arriving in Utah.
Follow Phillips and Pledger on social media and be on the lookout for more information as more details will be released this week.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com, Co-Host of Faith, Family and Football podcast with Clark Phillips III and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports.
