Illinois Football 2025 Scouting Report: Defensive Back Jaheim Clarke

Clarke, coming off a breakout sophomore season, could be ready to take another step forward in 2025

Dec 31, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Jaheim Clarke (25) celebrates his fumble recovery against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the third quarter at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Illinois on SI is delivering scouting reports for each of the key players on the Illini football team's 2025 roster. Below, we present our breakdown of Illini junior defensive back Jaheim Clarke. We will add more as other on-field contributors emerge during the season. Find our scouting reports of other Illinois players by searching in your favorite browser or clicking in our projected depth chart – coming soon.

Jaheim Clarke | Defensive back | Junior | No. 6

Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida

High school: Riverdale

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 175 pounds

Scouting report

Although tall and lean, Clarke packs a surprising punch when he gets an angle on a target on quick slants, screens and sideline runs. He's a reliable tackler and doesn't let much get by him against the run or pass. He lacks ideal bulk to take on big backs between the tackles or to square up on linemen blocking downfield, but he excels at shedding blocks, staying on his feet and getting to the ball.

Clarke has excellent length in coverage, and he knows how to use it to disrupt opposing receivers in their routes and when high-pointing the ball. He's just physical enough with his hands to frustrate receivers without drawing penalties. Play-to-play consistency in coverage will be the next step for Clarke, who only started playing football in his sophomore year of high school.

Jaheim Clarke has only *really* been playing football since his sophomore year of high school

He started in soccer, and after @coachhep saw his height at freshman orientation, he locked in on football pic.twitter.com/d2NL3w6xCz

— Courtney Layne Brewer (@courtneylaynebr) August 8, 2025

Experience

After a mostly uneventful freshman season in Champaign, Clarke became part of a defensive back rotation as a sophomore last year – and really leapt forward in the second half of the season. He got his first start against Northwestern, logging 12 of his 34 tackles on the season in one afternoon at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Clarke played in all 12 games as a true freshman, which helped set him up to confidently move into a prominent role in 2024, when he essentially received starter reps over the back half of the season and held his own when the Illini secondary was hobbled by injuries.

Year	Team	Games	Tackles	TFL-Yds	Sacks	INTs	Pass breakups	Forced fumbles
2024	Illinois	12	34	1-4	0	0	5	0
2023	Illinois	12	5	0	0	0	0	0

Media highlights

What they're saying

"I am so excited for that young man. Just seeing where he was last year, and just seeing his growth as a player. I mean, he's made plays throughout the course of fall camp, where I give the Coach [Corey] Parker eyes, right? Like, he's made some incredible plays, because you get that excited about him," Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry said of Clarke during the fall.

2025 outlook

Clarke has a lot of potential as both a play-to-play stalwart holding down his position but also a playmaker in the Illini defensive backfield. His combination of length, athleticism and IQ is impressive, and he has learned from some of the best in Xavier Scott, Miles Scott and a group of Illinois coaches who have a growing reputation for developing NFL-level secondary talent.

If Clarke doesn't actually line up on the first play of games for the Illini, he'll be a de facto starter who continues to play often and be counted on in a variety of coverage situations.

More from Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

AP Top 25 College Football Poll: The Experts Are Ready to Believe in Illinois

Illinois Football Offers Class of 2027 Offensive Tackle Davis Seaman

Two Doak Walker Candidates? What It Says About Illinois' Offense

Former Illini Jer'Zhan Newton Shines in Washington Commanders' Preseason Opener

Illinois Football's Week 4 Matchup at Indiana Sells Out: What it Means