Notre Dame's Steely New Golden Boy

Related Stories

• A Tribute To Lesley Visser
• Al Davis - Man in Black and Silver
• Raiders Night
• We Are Marshall
• Discovering Canton

From the perspective of Sean Wiser, Oaks Christian's top receiver and Clausen's friend since middle school, Clausen won't have any trouble backing up the hype.

"No quarterback is going to want to go where the No. 1 quarterback is going if they want to see the light of day on the field," Wiser said. Don't tell that to Zach Frazer or Demetrius Jones, two incoming freshmen at Notre Dame who could actually challenge California's most revered high school quarterback since John Elway was at Granada Hills High School three decades ago.

According to College Sports TV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, Clausen – who is 27-0 as a starter, passing for 7,300 yards and 96 touchdowns – is the most highly touted quarterback he's seen in his 27 years in the business.

The way he was praised during his "unofficial" trip to South Bend, it only seemed appropriate that Clausen shared the same initials as another heralded figure in Notre Dame lore.

During his announcement, the 6-foot-3, 207-pound Clausen flashed the CIF Southern Section Division XI championship rings  – all three of them – on his right hand, prefacing his bold prediction that more jewelry would be in his football future.

Like Clausen, Irish phenom Paul Hornung also made the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Although Oaks Christian is an overwhelming favorite to win a fourth consecutive title this year, with Clausen leading a parade of 11 potential Division I college prospects under veteran coach Bill Redell, someone forgot to tell Clausen that Notre Dame's last national championship came in 1988. Or that the most titles the Irish have ever won in a four-year span are three (1946, 1947 and 1949).

Someone also forgot to tell Clausen that before he announces his decision on cable television, it would be an appropriate gesture to inform his high school coach of the decision. Yet, Redell learned of his quarterback's decision by listening to former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz the day before on ESPN.

Not withstanding Quinn's efforts last season, if anyone has the potential to elevate Notre Dame back to national prominence, it is Clausen, who has been groomed since kindergarten to be an elite signal caller.

His father, Jim Sr., coached high school football.

Clausen's personal quarterback coach, Steve Clarkson, has tutored the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart, Gino Torretta and J.P. Losman.

And his older brothers developed their skills at high schools in the San Fernando Valley – the same sector of Southern California that produced Elway. – and eventually in the Southeastern Conference.

Unfortunately for Jimmy, their names weren't Peyton and Eli.

Although Casey (2000-03) and Rick (2004-05) – an LSU transfer – followed the elder Manning at University of Tennessee, neither one of them led the Volunteers to a national title, nor have they attempted a pass in the NFL. And while Clausen has already made one trip to the College Football Hall of Fame, ESPN analyst and Notre Dame supporter Beano Cook has yet to make a prediction on how many trips the 18-year-old phenom will make to the Downtown Athletic Club in New York.

For Clausen's sake, one hopes it's more than Ron Powlus, who has befriended Notre Dame's most publicized recruit since the can't-miss prospect from Pennsylvania landed in South Bend in 1993.

"Ron Powlus is another reason I came here," said Clausen of Notre Dame's all-time passing leader, who was predicted by Cook to win multiple Heismans, yet never finished among the top 10 vote-getters during his four-year career.

"He was highly recruited, and we have a good relationship right now. My older brothers have been through it all, and I'm just trying to follow in their footsteps."

If Clausen has any hopes of joining Notre Dame quarterbacks Angelo Bertelli, Frank Carideo, Ralph Guglielmi, Paul Hornung, John Huarte, Johnny Lujack, Harry Stuhldreher, Joe Theismann and Bob Williams in the College Football Hall of Fame, he'll need to aspire to greater successes than his brothers.

Throughout his high school career, Clausen has demonstrated the physical skills and emotional intangibles that have helped him handle every situation, on and off the field.

Whether he'll be able to survive four years at Notre Dame – assuming he isn't in the NFL by decade's end – remains to be seen. "The expectations were unbelievable, very near impossible," Powlus said in a 1996 interview. "I knew then it was impossible. I didn't care. I was going to try anyway."

Clausen is dealing with similar pressure this year at Oaks Christian, which enters the season with a 31-game winning streak. But the expectations he potentially faces at Notre Dame could make anything less than a spotless win-loss record seem unacceptable.

Before his next trip to South Bend, Clausen would be wise to reflect on the tradition that comes with Notre Dame football, the Heisman trophy and the College Football Hall of Fame. Or any Hall of Fame for that matter.

After all, Clausen delivered a speech on the hall's stage before even the great Jerry Rice had an opportunity to do so. The Mississippi Valley State graduate leads this year's class of inductees – including Notre Dame's own Huarte – who will be enshrined Aug. 12.

No word on whether Clausen plans to attend the ceremony, but it might be wise for the teenager who was featured in Sports Illustrated in December to keep a low profile until his senior season begins in September. If that's possible.

"Some people are going to like you and some people aren't. You can't control things like that," Clausen said. "I'm just trying to be a kid right now. I want to stay in high school, graduate with my class, and have fun with my friends."

Clausen hopes to cap his career with a perfect ending in December. In addition to the passing yards and touchdowns, hopefully he can gain some more perspective along the way.