Sport: Football
Born: November 2, 1994
Town: Glassboro, New Jersey
Corey Joel Clement was born November 2, 1994 in Glassboro, NJ. Fast and powerful, with a low center of gravity, Corey excelled in track and football as a teenager. He made the Glassboro High Bulldogs varsity as a freshman and quickly became their best all-around player. As a junior in 2011, Corey set a South Jersey prep rushing record with 2,510 yards and scored 35 touchdowns as a runner, receiver, defensive back and on special teams. He had another sensational year as a senior and finished his high-school career with more than 6,000 rushing yards and 90 touchdowns. Corey was pursued by Rutgers, Florida State, Ohio State, Iowa, Nebraska, Pitt, Wisconsin and Notre Dame. He originally committed to Pitt as a junior but changed his mind and accepted a scholarship to Wisconsin.
Corey’s prospects for playing time in 2013 looked dim. He was stuck behind a pair of 1,000-yard running backs, Melvin Gordon and James White. They combined for over 3,000 yards that year, leading Wisconsin to a 9–3 record and a trip to the Capital One Bowl, where the Badgers lost to South Carolina. Corey saw action in only 8 games as a freshman, but averaged a gaudy 8.2 yards per carry to finish the season with 547 yards. He became the team’s second option in 2014 behind Gordon, who racked up 2,587 yards and was runner-up in the Heisman voting. Corey fell just short of 1,000 yards, with 949. Wisconsin finished the year 11–3, which included a 34–31 win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
Corey was ready to step into a featured role in the Badger offense as a junior in 2015, but he was slowed early on by a misdiagnosed injury. He ended up participating in just 4 games. Corey finally got his chance in 2016, starting all but one of the team’s 14 games on the way to a 1,375-yard, 15-touchdown season. Wisconsin went 11–3, including a 24–16 over Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl. Corey led all rushers in his final game with 71 yards and scored the opening touchdown in a game in which the Badgers never trailed.
At 5’11″ 220 lbs., Corey did not project as an impact back and went undrafted in 2017, but made the Eagles as a free agent. He saw action in all 16 games, finishing with 444 rushing and receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. The Eagles survived a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Carson Wentz and won the NFC title. They went on the beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, 41–33. Corey was a difference-maker as a receiver in the unexpected victory, catching 4 passes for 100 yards, including a 22-yard TD pass in the third quarter.
In 2018, Corey started the year as a back-up to Jay Ajayi. When Ajayi tore his ACL in early October, Corey competed for the starting job with Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams as the Eagle pondered a potential trade. Eventually, the Philadelphia turned to Corey as their primary kickoff return man. He finished the 2018 season with 259 rushing yards and 192 receiving yards to go with 333 kick return yards. He was sidelined with a knee injury late in the season, missing the playoffs.
When the Eagles opened their 2019 season, Corey wasn’t quite ready to resume his previous role. He played on special teams for a month before the team shut him down for the remainder of the season. He became a free agent in 2020 but decided to re-sign with Philadelphia. He appeared in 15 games as a reserve and special teams player, but didn’t contribute much to the team’s bottom line. In 2021, after spending the exhibition season with the Giants, he was released and signed immediately by the Cowboys as a kick returner and backup back and saw most of his action on special teams.
Dallas chose not to re-sign Corey and he failed to make the Ravens in 2022. He managed to catch on with the Cardinals that fall and played sporadically as a backup to James Conner. Corey was a Cardinal again in 2023, but primarily as a practice-squad player. With Conner and Michael Carter penciled in as Arizona’s two main ball carriers, the team decided to release Corey at the end of the season.