UCF Players Grieve Offensive Line Coach Shawn Clark
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The UCF Knights' late offensive line coach Shawn Clark "played a big part" in getting offensive lineman Carter Miller to Orlando, the Louisiana-Monroe transfer said on Monday.
"I respect him a lot," Miller said. "I was in the Sun Belt for three years, and so I knew of him being the head coach at App State. I played against him, and he did a phenomenal job there, so I really respected him as a line coach."
Clark passed away on Sept. 21 at the age of 50. He had been hospitalized with an undisclosed medical emergency since Sept. 9. Many UCF players took to social media following the news breaking to pay tribute to him.
"He loved each and every one of us like we were his own," freshman offensive lineman Camp Lott said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "A great coach, father, and leader. Coach Clark, you will be missed."
He loved each and every one of us like we were his own. A great coach, father, and leader. Coach Clark, you will be missed ❤️ https://t.co/wFiX2VcAgy
— Camp Lott (@camp_lott7) September 22, 2025
Beginning with last weekend's game against Kansas State, the Knights sported a sticker on their helmets bearing Clark's initials "SC," which will remain the rest of the season.
"He meant a lot to us," Miller said. "You know, we were with him. We were all with him in January, went through spring with him, and he was a great leader, a great mentor. Anytime things were hard in your personal life, on the field, he was a great guy to turn to; good guy to talk to just about anything."
Alex "Bear" Farah, one of UCF's offensive quality control coaches, and former Purdue coach Danny Hope, one of Clark's college football mentors, have assumed the late coach's duties as co-offensive line coaches. Miller said the duo has done "a phenomenal job," and that Hope is "a lot like" Clark.
"He's got the same fire and has the same little phrases that Clark says, so it's good to have him around," Miller said of Hope.
When the offensive line walked into unit meetings, Miller said Clark always played the same song, which helped fire them up in the morning: "Zombie" by The Cranberries. Since his passing, the unit played the 1994 song every day and thought about him.
"We remember when things get hard, we all look at each other and lean on each other, and we say, 'We got to remember we're doing this for Coach Clark.' That's bigger than us right now. It's all about Coach Clark," Miller said.
The Knights host Kansas in their first home game since Clark's passing on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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