SU DB Alijah ‘Cinco’ Clark signs with Cowboys as undrafted free agent
Alijah Clark totaled 181 tackles and one interception in three years with Syracuse, becoming a key part of its defense. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor
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Syracuse defensive back Alijah “Cinco” Clark signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, SU football reported Saturday. Clark is one of eight players out of SU who’s been drafted or signed by an NFL team this offseason, joining quarterback Kyle McCord, tight end Oronde Gadsden II and running back LeQuint Allen Jr., among others.
There was an outside shot Clark would be selected within the seven rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. Though he went undrafted, Clark ends up with a chance to fight for a spot on an NFL roster by getting an opportunity with Cowboys.
The 6-foot-1, 187-pound defensive back was rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 recruit in New Jersey in the class of 2021. Then, he was listed as a cornerback, the 10th best one in the country, according to 247Sports.
Clark, a Camden, New Jersey, native, originally committed to Rutgers, where he spent one season in 2021. He recorded an interception as a freshman, though he barely saw the field throughout his rookie year.
Clark then transferred to Syracuse heading into his sophomore year. He stayed with the Orange after Dino Babers got fired in November 2023, following Clark’s second season at SU.
The arrival of head coach Fran Brown, who shares a hometown of Camden with Clark and has experience coaching defensive backs at the Division I level, allowed Clark to feel comfortable before his final season of eligibility commenced.
Now, after one year under Brown’s guidance, Clark is one step closer to making an NFL squad.
In three years with the Orange, Clark registered 181 total tackles, 10 pass deflections and one interception. Clark was a mainstay at safety in Syracuse’s historic first year under Brown, totaling 61 tackles (third on SU) and earning Defensive MVP honors in the Orange’s Holiday Bowl victory over Washington State.
