Owen Clarke, a former Brown University athlete who excelled on both the football field and the rugby pitch, heard his name called in the second round of the 2024 Major League Rugby College Draft.
The New England Free Jacks secured the fifth overall pick, rewarding a career that blended bruising defensive play in the Ivy League with elite sevens rugby performance.
At Brown, Clarke was a four‑year member of the Bears’ football roster, appearing in all 30 games over his final three seasons and recording 17.5 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, during his senior year in 2025.
His rugby credentials are equally impressive; he earned NCR All‑American honors, captained the Brown club men’s rugby sevens team to a top‑five national finish, and represented the United States at the U20 level before logging two appearances for the Free Jacks Academy.
Clarke’s selection follows the precedent set by Junior Gafa, another Brown alumnus who entered the MLR system in 2023 and was named Rookie of the Year the following season, making Clarke the second former Brown football player drafted into the league.
The draft also underscores the growing pipeline of Ivy League talent into professional rugby, a trend that the Free Jacks organization hopes to nurture through its academy and development pathways.