AC #38

Alijah Clark

Safety · Syracuse

An undrafted safety out of Syracuse who turned a punt coverage hustle play into one of the Cowboys' best moments of 2025.

Alijah Clark signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2025 after going unpicked in the draft, and he carved out a rookie-year role as a core special teamer with occasional defensive snaps. He was the Cowboys' highest-paid UDFA signing that spring, and he made the front office look smart with his effort on teams.

★ Cowboys' highest-paid undrafted free agent signing in 2025

★ Forced a game-changing punt coverage fumble against the Eagles in 2025

★ Three-year college starter across Rutgers and Syracuse secondaries

Path to the league

Clark began his college career at Rutgers before transferring to Syracuse, where he grew into a steady piece of the Orange secondary. At 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds, he ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. He went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft and signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent, landing a $25,000 signing bonus and $234,000 guaranteed, the biggest deal among the team's rookie free agents.

Career highlights

Across three seasons split between Rutgers and Syracuse, Clark totaled 181 tackles, 10 pass deflections and an interception. His 2024 season at Syracuse alone produced 36 solo tackles, a pick and four pass breakups, enough production to put him on NFL radars even without a combine invite.

2025 season recap

Clark played in 11 games as a rookie, starting once during an injury-riddled Week 8 trip to Denver, with almost all of his other snaps coming on special teams. His signature moment came in a comeback win over Philadelphia, when he was knocked down twice on a punt coverage rep, got back up, and forced a fumble by Eagles returner Xavier Gipson that Dallas recovered near the goal line. He finished the year with 18 tackles, nine of them solo, and that forced fumble.