Temple recruit Peter Clarke hopes to open the door for more international athletes in college football

When South London native Peter Clarke joined the NFL Academy at age 16, he dreamed of traveling to America to get a free education and play football.

So even on days when he didn’t want to wake at 5 a.m. for the hour-long commute, Clarke knew his journey to the academy was well worth it. The NFL Academy, a platform that helps international athletes learn football, could be his ticket to playing at a higher level.

“If it wasn’t for the NFL Academy, I would not be going to a university,” said Clarke, who is now 18 and committed to Temple. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Given my background and where I come from, I was not going to a university. No one in my family has ever gone, I’m going to be the first one.”

Clarke, a 6-foot-6, 248-pound tight end, fulfilled his dream when Temple coach Stan Drayton added him to the 2023 class. The academy helped Clarke develop into a three-star prospect, but his commitment to football also came with challenges. Clarke needed to learned to balance that daily grind with his work schedule and family time.

Clarke was introduced to football at 12 years old when he played five-on-five games in middle school. He didn’t know much about the sport and used what he knew about soccer, rugby, and basketball to help him pick up the game.

Clarke’s transition came easily because he could catch and run routes. Although he just played for fun in the beginning, Clarke stood out. A teacher took notice and said, “You’re kind of a natural football player, why don’t you try to take it to the club level?”

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He did exactly that. Clarke joined the London Warriors, a program that competes against other clubs in the London area. With a strong frame, size, and speed, Clarke moved around between safety and receiver.

Tony Allen, Clarke’s coach with the Warriors, served as NFL Academy head coach. Allen told Clarke he could play at the collegiate level with the right training and suggested that he look into the academy.

“[Allen’s] been an influential figure throughout my life,” Clarke said. “He’s always mentored me through my journey. He’s been a huge part of what I’ve done. Without Coach Tony, I would not be in the position that I’m in today. He changed my life.”

When Clarke was invited to the academy in 2020, it was the program’s second year of existence. Clarke quickly realized he needed to be dedicated to watching film and lifting weights to compete with guys who were more experienced.

“To go anywhere with football above high school, I needed to be in the academy,” Clarke said. “That’s the place where I’m going to get a platform to push myself out to America. ... I come from a working-class background, single-parent household, didn’t have much of anything growing up, so football was my ticket out.”

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Clarke’s father wasn’t in the picture as his mother worked as a teacher to raise him and two younger sisters. Clarke took on responsibility at a young age, watching over his sisters when his mother taught night classes. He also helped out financially through retail and construction jobs while he attended the academy.

As he developed, Clarke’s coaches moved him to tight end. Clark continued to get bigger, better, stronger, and faster — improving his 40-yard dash from 5 seconds to 4.64 seconds.

“The development was just unmatched,” Clarke said. “That physical development has been phenomenal and the football development in terms of my IQ is just going crazy — to the point where I was dominating against guys that have been playing their whole life.”

During Clarke’s sophomore year, he received his first college offer from the University of Texas at San Antonio. The offers started to take off after he attended an Under Armour camp in Baltimore early in his junior year. During that trip, Clarke also visited Temple, Penn State, Maryland, and Towson.

Before his visit, Clarke was in contact with Temple’s special teams coordinator and tight end coach, Adam Scheier. He told Clarke that he liked what he saw on film and was looking forward to his unofficial visit.

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Following his visit, Clarke received a FaceTime call from Scheier. When he answered the phone, Drayton was on his screen. Clarke was shocked but excited. Drayton talked about the “Temple TUFF” brand and how Clarke fits that. He offered Clarke a scholarship on the spot.

Philadelphia reminded Clarke of South London — a blue-collar area like his hometown. He also enjoyed the family camaraderie that Drayton has instilled at Temple in a short time.

Clarke will soon be part of that fabric. He plans to join the Owls in January and take part in winter sessions. Clarke hopes his journey will inspire other international players who want to play at the collegiate level.

“Me going to college and playing football is not just about me playing football,” Clarke said. “It’s me leading the way for a lot of European guys, that more of us can get into college football, so I hope to go there and flag where I’m from and really make an impact into building a winning program.”