J.J. Clark enters his second season with the Cowboys. New Defensive Coordinator Christian Parker elevated Clark to assistant linebackers coach after he spent 2025 as the defensive assistant/quality control coach.
Clark's first season with Dallas saw him work with the linebackers. He helped coach rookie linebacker Shemar James, who ranked second on the team with 84 tackles, the most by a Cowboys rookie linebacker since Leighton Vander Esch (167) in 2018.
Clark spent 13 years at the collegiate level before breaking into the NFL ranks.
In 2024 Clark served as UTEP's defensive coordinator.Under his guidance, safety Kory Chapman led all of Conference USA with 12.5 tackles for loss, adding 3.0 sacks and two interceptions for the Miners.
Prior to UTEP, Clark served a two-year stint at Austin Peay, working as co-special teams coordinator and linebackers coach in 2022 and as defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2023.
Clark spent time as defensive coordinator at Indiana Wesleyan from 2019-21. In 2021 Clark led the Wildcats to the second-fewest points-per-game (11.9) allowed in NAIA .
Clark returned to his alma mater, Wheaton, as defensive pass game coordinator in 2015 before being elevated to co-defensive coordinator in 2016 and becoming the sole defensive coordinator in 2017. The Wheaton defense achieved top-five marks in various categories under Clark, including rushing defense (66.3 yards-per-game) in 2016, total defense (229.1) and sacks-per-game (4.2) in 2017 and total defense (218.2) and scoring (9.0) in 2018.
Clark spent 2013-14 at Akron as a graduate assistant, helping with the defensive backs.
The Sammamish, Wash., native made his coaching debut at Humboldt State as the running backs coach in 2012.
Clark was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at tight end and fullback for Wheaton from 2008-11.
The former tight end earned his bachelor's degree in history from Wheaton College in 2012 and later graduated from Akron with a master's in sports science and administration in 2014.
Clark and his wife, Samantha, have two sons, Shepard and Seeker.
