CLAUSEN HAS IRISH EYES SMILING COVETED OAKS CHRISTIAN QB TO COMMIT TO NOTRE DAME.Byline: ERIK BOAL Special to the Daily News Oaks Christian High of Westlake Village quarterback Jimmy Clausen James Richard "Jimmy" Clausen (born September 21, 1987, in Thousand Oaks, California[3]) is an American football player. He is a quarterback at the University of Notre Dame. - the top-rated junior recruit in the country - has given his verbal commitment to attend Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame , choosing the Fighting Irish over USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. . Clausen, in South Bend South Bend, city (1990 pop. 105,511), seat of St. Joseph co., N Ind., on the great south bend of the St. Joseph River, in a farming and mint-growing region; inc. as a city 1865. , Ind., with teammates Marc Tyler and Casey Matthews on an unofficial recruiting trip to attend Notre Dame's spring scrimmage Saturday, declined to comment on his decision. Oaks Christian football coach Bill Redell confirmed Clausen's commitment Friday following a phone conversation with Steve Clarkson, Clausen's private quarterback coach. Clarkson - in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of for the upcoming NFL draft - is a close friend of the family, having previously worked with Clausen's older brothers Casey and Ricky, both of whom played at Tennessee. Clausen, 27-0 as a starter the past two seasons, led Oaks Christian to its third consecutive Southern Section championship last fall. According to Redell, the 6-foot-3, 207-pound Clausen - who has thrown for 7,300 yards and 96 touchdowns in his career - last visited with USC coach Pete Carroll on Wednesday. "I haven't heard from Jimmy or his dad (since they arrived in South Bend), but I've been told by a lot of people who I consider reliable sources about the decision," Redell said. "I don't think he really planned on committing this weekend, but maybe when he got there, he got caught up in the excitement and made his decision. It's a little surprising that it happened so fast, but if (former Notre Dame coach) Lou Holtz is saying so on ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network , then I guess it's true." Clausen is expected to make his official announcement at 6:30 a.m. PDT PDT abbr. Pacific Daylight Time PDT Pacific Daylight Time PDT n abbr (US) (= Pacific Daylight Time) → hora de verano del Pacífico PDT at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend. He isn't allowed to sign a national letter of intent until February. Clay Matthews, Casey's father and an Oaks Christian assistant, is with Clausen and Tyler in South Bend, but had yet to speak with Jimmy or his father, Jim Sr., regarding the commitment. Redell said he believed one of the deciding factors in Clausen's decision to choose the Fighting Irish over USC was the opportunity to be mentored by Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. Before arriving at Notre Dame, Weis was offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots' three Super Bowl titles in four years, and as a defensive and special teams assistant for the New York Giants
"Charlie Weis has a great history with quarterbacks and with Brady Quinn graduating (in the spring) and Jimmy on track to graduate in December, he should be able to come into practice and begin learning the system right away," Redell said of Clausen, who is taking additional courses at Ventura College in order to graduate early. "One thing about Jimmy is he's not afraid to compete. But with Brady graduating, the door is kind of open. USC still has quarterbacks John David Booty John David Booty (born January 3, 1985, in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.) is the starting quarterback of the University of Southern California (USC) football team. He is called "John David", and sometimes referred to as J.D., because his father's name is John. and Mark Sanchez on its roster, in addition to Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks' Garrett Green arriving in the fall. Clausen's decision, along with the possibility of Tyler following him to South Bend, could make Notre Dame the front-runner to secure the nation's top recruiting class in 2007. Weis signed two quarterbacks from the Class of 2006 - Zach Frazer (Mechanicsburg HS, Pa.) and Demetrius Jones (Morgan Park HS, Chicago) - but didn't offer the nation's top quarterback prospect, Mitch Mustain (Springdale, Ark.), with the hopes of getting a commitment from Clausen. "It's becoming a trend for colleges to offer these kids early," said Redell, who noted that Tyler has been rated as high as the No. 2 junior prospect in the country, according to recruiting services. erik.boal@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) no caption (Jimmy Clausen) Box: JIMMY CLAUSEN FILE |
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