T1B

Weiss lands Clausen


Kid is going to start from day 1.

I'm sure I'll be cursing his name in a few years.

Everyone was after this kid....however there will be doubters. Hold on let me predict quotes from condom fan......
Oh he doesn't want to compete. Oh he was overrated anyway. Oh we really didn't want him. Oh we got the guy we really wanted in (insert qb's name here)

Regardless this kid is big time and will do big things at ND. In all seriousness though schools like $C are set at QB for the next few years and it would not have been smart for him to go there. At ND he comes in next year and competes with Frazier for the starting spot. Regardless of how big his school is or what his competition was like this kid has all it takes to be successful. Nice get by the Irish....it will be interesting to see what other big name recruits now fall in line and sign with ND.

Congrats to the Domers. He will be a nice help for your recruiting efforts as the year progresses.

Here's to hoping he is the next Rix. ;)

No offense, but Clausen wouldn't see the field till his Junior year if he went to USC. So no spin there.


And i'd take Mark Sanchez over Clausen anyday.

No offense, but Clausen wouldn't see the field till his Junior year if he went to USC. So no spin there.


And i'd take Mark Sanchez over Clausen anyday.

How can you make that statement? Maybe Clausen is better than Sanchez. Who knows. Please elaborate on why you'd take one over the other. I've seen both play and Clausen does some things better than Sanchez and vice versa. Both will do wonders at their schools. $C fan would obviously take Sanchez and ND would obviously take Clausen.

FWIW - According to the Rivals guys Brantley is the top pro style QB in 07.

Rivals is likely going to rank anyone not named Jimmy Clausen as their #1 QB, despite him being the QB on their junior AA team. It's all political, but I'll bet that Clausen will be the #1 QB, and possibly #1 player in the country by almost every service.

I'm pretty sure He's got Lemmings #1 ranking.

FWIW there are rumblings that John Chiles might end up #1 overall. Not as a QB but as an athlete, Burton compares him to Percy Harvin.

Everything is speculation right now, and you are right all these rankings are political. I've heard more than one kid say that the recruiting services have tried to delay their announcements saying, if they commit early it will effect their rankings.

BTW I have seen film clips on both, and Brantley looks like the better of the two, but both are out of this world.

The one thing that you can't tell by the film is the level of competition they faced, I doubt Brantley is facing the top talent in Florida but maybe trix could enlighten us.

The Chiles ranking would surpryse me just because he is so adament about playing QB that how do you judge him elsewhere?

Haven't seen Brantley, but of the QB's I've seen, Mike Paulus looks the best, or has the most upside. Clausen is very polished and can make all the throws. The thig about him is, like Brantley, he doesn't play in the best competition.

Recruits who commit early almost always suffer in the rankings.

I havent been that impressed w/ Paulus to tell you the truth. He plays at Christian Brothers and they arent playing that much better competition. He has good size, but I think Clausen's arm strength is better.

I think the best QB in this class other Clausen, who can give him a run for his money is Willy Korn who verballed to Clemson. That kid has a strong arm and has some good wheels. I was a little shocked that he chose Clemson, but its only a verbal.

Remember the Powlus

Cicero wrote:I havent been that impressed w/ Paulus to tell you the truth. He plays at Christian Brothers and they arent playing that much better competition. He has good size, but I think Clausen's arm strength is better.

I think the best QB in this class other Clausen, who can give him a run for his money is Willy Korn who verballed to Clemson. That kid has a strong arm and has some good wheels. I was a little shocked that he chose Clemson, but its only a verbal.

The issue with Korn is his size. He's only about 5'11". With that size, I'm surprised he didn't end up at Iowa.

The thing with Paulus is that you are completely correct, he plays in an awful league. But I think he is head and shoulders above his brother and in any other year, would have his pick of schools. Shitty for him that he wanted to go to ND and Michigan. ND got Clausen and UofM is going hard after Mallett (who I don't think they will get).

The thing about Clausen is, I couldn't care less if he ends up being a huge bust. I doubt he will, but if he never takes a meaningful snap at ND, that isn't a bad thing. Clausen's biggest value, to me, is his ability to recruit other 5 stars. He was the first domino that hopefully leads to Marvin Austin, DT out of DC.

Rack the sig, Killian!

Thanks, I almost did a spit take the first time I read it!

Vito Corleone wrote:The one thing that you can't tell by the film is the level of competition they faced, I doubt Brantley is facing the top talent in Florida but maybe trix could enlighten us.

Brantley plays against decent competition in Ocala. He is playing against the same schools that Daunte Culpepper played against. Its not the Panhandle or down south, but his competition I think is better than Paulus and Clausen.


Killian,

I thought Korn was 6'2? On film he looks bigger than 5'11" and looked very impressive.

Right now I would say the QB rankings are:

Clausen
Brantley
Mallet
Korn
Paulus

He looked small in the videos that I saw of him, plus I know some Clemson fans on another board were concerned about his size. But the kid looks like a helluva player.

A helluva sign, to be sure, and he'll bring in some other studs, as Killian says. That said, I'd put myself as cautiously optimistic about the guy at the moment. Remember, I was at ND during the Faust years. For those who don't know, ND typically would land Top 5-10 recruiting classes each year under Faust, but, of course, that never translated to similar rankings on the field. Count me as among those who are very firmly entrenched in the camp that believes that player development is more important than recruiting, although, in fairness, Weis' bona fides in that regard haven't been in question.

Also, I've been a ND fan longer than most of the posters on this board have been alive. Given my experience in that regard, I've become a general pessimist about ND football, sad to say, not to mention a believer in Murphy's Law. And I'm aware that LOI day is still more than 9 months away, and nothing is official until then. I'm not saying that Clausen will decommit, and in fact I don't think he will, but if he does, he wouldn't be the first, or the last, to do so.

And if Beano Cook ever announces that Clausen will win two Heismans before he ever plays a down of college football, I will fight him (Beano, that is).

Jobocky wrote:Remember the Powlus

If Clausen has half the talent that Powlus did coming out of high school, he will be a 4 year starter.

If Ron Powlus would have went to a passing school, he would have been an AA. He had all the tools but was so pre-occupied w/ getting creamed on the option, that I think it took away from his ability to win games w/ his arm.

Cicero wrote:If Ron Powlus would have went to a passing school, he would have been an AA. He had all the tools but was so pre-occupied w/ getting creamed on the option, that I think it took away from his ability to win games w/ his arm.

He didn't run the option that often. It's a common misconception that a lot of people have. He did run it, but no where close to as many times as Tony Rice or even Rick Mirer.

Ron's issue was him getting his clavical snapped his freshman year. Everyone thought Holtz was nuts for naming him the starter in '93, but in practice he was tearing apart ND's first team defense. A defense that had Bryant Young, Oliver Gibason, Jim Flannigen, Jeff Burris and Bobby Taylor starting for them. After that, Powlus broke his clavical again in a no contact drill. He never was the same player, but any chance for a great career ended when he snapped his left arm playing Navy in his redshirt soph. year. After that he had very happy feet.

With the type of insight that Weis will provide, I think Clausen is going to be a fucking great QB.

Look at Quinn...last year this time he was a OK QB that had some potential with more questions than anything.

Enter Charlie. Quinn now looks to be a lock as the 1st qb taken next year.

JMHO

a very good pick up for the hated ones. I dont get all the people saying that he wouldnt start til who knows when at USC, USC has 1 healthy QB on scholarship right now and only 2 in total, and the Trojans didnt recruit any QB's this last season. Notre Dame has had QB recruits in the last few classes so the "doesnt want to compete" doesnt fit in Claussens case. As for the league he plays in, its pretty sad, a step or two above 8 man ball. He plays in the teeny tiny private school division and has a Team full of studs, there are 2 or 3 more D1 prospects at his school, that are beating up on 150lb christian day school kids. That doesnt mean that USC doesnt want him or that he isnt a great talent, just know that the yards he is putting up in CIF Southern Section football arent being put up vs the Loyolas, Mater Deis, Harts, Westlakes, Mission Viejos and Long Beach Poly's.
Either way its a tough pill to swallow, some fat cocksucker came in to Southern California and stole a So Cal raised talent to drag back to a bunch of ex alterboys still picking the splinters out of their butts from the priests last visit to play for them and not the kids home team.

I found this on a rivals board, it looks like both Clausen and Brantley are dead even in the eyes of those guys.

Mechanics: Release and footwork
Athleticism: : Pocket movement, running ability, speed
Leadership/Poise: : Team’s success, coolness in the pocket
Field Awareness: : Big play ability, reading defenses
Arm Strength: : Arm Strength

1a. Jimmy Claussen
Hometown/High School: : Westlake Village (CA)/Oaks Christian
Height: : 6-foot-3
Weight: : 200 pounds
40-yard dash: : 4.7 seconds
Junior Stats: : 2,778 yards, 30 TDs with 5 INTs, 67.0% completion percentage.
Team: : Max preps National Ranking: #112. XI Championship.
Intangibles: : Plays on a good team with several division 1A prospects, about 2 years older than other players at the same grade level, 2005 competition weak. Two brothers played DIV 1A college football.
Ratings: : Mechanics (10), Athleticism (5), Leadership/Poise (9), Field Awareness (9), Arm Strength (9)
Total: : 42

1b. John Brantley:
Hometown/High School: : Ocala (FL)/Trinity Catholic
Max preps National Ranking: : #273
Height: : 6-foot-3
Weight: : 190 pounds
40-yard dash: : 4.64 seconds
Vertical leap: : 29 inches
Shuttle time: : 4.41 seconds
GPA: : 3.5
Junior Stats: : 2,835 yards, 41 TDs with 5 INTs, 62.8% completion percentage.
Team: : Max preps National Ranking: #273. Class 2B State Title.
Intangibles: : Plays on a good team with excellent receivers
Ratings: : Mechanics (9), Athleticism ( 8 ), Leadership/Poise ( 8 ), Field Awareness (9), Arm Strength ( 8 )
Total: 42

2. Mike Paulus:
Hometown/High School: : Syracuse (NY)/Christian Brothers
Height: : 6-foot-5
Weight: : 220 pounds
40-yard dash: : 4.9 seconds
Junior Stats: : 2,100 yards, 20 TDs with 9 INTs, 59.0% completion percentage.
Team: : Max preps National Ranking: #603.
Intangibles: : Plays on a pretty good team. Good athletic family genes.
Ratings: : Mechanics ( 8 ), Athleticism (7), Leadership/Poise ( 8 ), Field Awareness ( 8 ), Arm Strength (9)
Total: : 40

3. Ryan Mallett:
Hometown/High School: : Texarkana (TX)/Texas High
Height: : 6-foot-7
Weight: : 235 pounds
Junior Stats: : 2,200 yards, 20 TDs.
Team: : Max preps National Ranking: #123. Only loss to #6 nationally ranked Highland Park.
Intangibles: : Plays on a good team. Coaches son.
Ratings: : Mechanics (7), Athleticism (5), Leadership/Poise (9), Field Awareness ( 8 ), Arm Strength (10)
Total: 39

4. Pat Bostick
Hometown/High School: : Lancaster (PA)/Manheim Township
Height: : 6-foot-3
Weight: : 196 pounds
40-yard dash: : 4.85 seconds
Vertical leap: : 24 inches
GPA: : 3.4
Junior Stats: : 2,820 yards, 34 TDs with 6 INTs, 59.5% completion percentage.
Team: : Max preps National Ranking: #1213.
Intangibles: : Not surrounded by great players on his team.
Ratings: : Mechanics ( 8 ), Athleticism (6), Leadership/Poise (7), Field Awareness ( 8 ), Arm Strength ( 8 )
Total: : 37 "

What rivals board? Just the general board, or a team site?

And I guess Clausen didn't want to have to worry about having another alum bang his future ex-wife, causing him to slash her throat.

Marc Tyler is next in line.

Killian wrote:ND got Clausen and UofM is going hard after Mallett (who I don't think they will get).

Michigan landed Mallett today. Arm strength = 10. Kid's got a CANNON.

Clausen vs. Mallett will be something to look forward to in the coming years.

Yep. Pretty much the opposite of what I thought would happen, happened.

I think Paulus called UofM after the Clausen commitment and said he wanted to verbal. UofM called Mallett and told him he needed to make a decision because they were ready to take Paulus. Mallett didn't get pissed, and pulled the trigger.

Good get for UofM

Fans of MIchigan, Notre Dame and Texas all should be really happy with the QBs we got. I had my heart set early on that I wanted Texas to get Mallet. Once we got Brantley I know the Texas coaches closed the books on QB recruiting but I still have a part of me that wished we could have taken both.

I look forward to seeing all of them in action.

Anyone know where Paulus will wind up? He had narrowed his choices to six, and with Clausen and Mallett committed to ND and Michigan, respectively, that would appear to narrow his choices to four -- Alabama, North Carolina, USC and Syracuse.

For my money, I'd say he'll probably wind up either at Syracuse or North Carolina -- if he goes to Syracuse he'll play in his own back yard, if he goes to North Carolina he'll be in close proximity to his brother at Duke. USC is probably too far away from home, and Alabama's academics don't measure up to the others.

If Poodle gives him the Reggie treatment, I wouldn't bet against USC. :wink:

I hope he doesn't go to UNC. That would pose a serious threat with ND's chances at getting Greg Little.

Here is a funny satire written by an ND fan:

Jimmy Clausen Commits, Turns Water Into Wine

South Bend---(AP). April 25, 2006.

Notre Dame scored the first, and perhaps grandest, coup of the college football recruiting season by securing the verbal commitment of Jimmy Clausen, regarded by many as the best player in the 2007 recruiting class.

The high school junior announced his decision at a press conference held at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend. Clausen arrived in a stretch H2 limousine as fans laid palm branches on the ground before him. He ascended the podium looking relaxed and confident, sporting a natty charcoal suit and his trademark crown-of-thorns hairstyle. Behind him stood his family and a heavenly host of seraphim and cherubim. In front of him was a motley crew of lepers, paralytics, and sportswriters.

Conspicuous on Clausen’s throwing hand were three large state championship rings. He referred to them as The Way, The Truth, and The Light.

Clausen began his announcement humbly. “First, I’d like to thank me, my lord and savior.” Then he declared his intention to play for Notre Dame.
It was difficult for the assembled throng to hear him at first, as every word he uttered was accompanied by a celestial choir.

The commitment sent a clear message to the college football world: Notre Dame football is back and God is on its side.

Clausen credited head coach Charlie Weis as the reason for his choice. The California native hadn’t even considered Notre Dame when former head coach Tyrone Willingham was still at the helm. The Irish offenses under coordinator Bill Diedrick languished near the bottom of Division 1A. Clausen’s interest in Notre Dame piqued after Weis brought the kind of sophisticated, productive offense that turned the Irish into an offensive juggernaut and made Brady Quinn into a Heisman Trophy favorite.

“Coach Weis proved to me that the last shall be first,” Clausen commented.

Asked to compare the current ND coaching staff to the previous two coaching staffs, Clausen demurred saying only, “Poor coaches will always be with us---in places like the Pac-10 and the announcing booth.”

Clausen promised to play a pivotal role in the recruiting effort. “No one comes to Notre Dame except through me,” he promised. Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming thinks Clausen will be instrumental in the commitments of at least 12 recruits.

Coach Weis hopes Clausen’s high profile announcement, timed to coincide with the Blue and Gold game, will start the dominos falling on what could be a recruiting class for the ages. Thirty of the nation’s top 100 prospects also attended the Notre Dame’s spring game.

For Clausen’s part, he said that he wanted to surround himself with best athletes possible.

“Blessed are the playmakers,” he said. “They shall inherit BCS berths.”

Coaches are prevented by NCAA rules from commenting on recruits before the official signing day, but Weis allowed himself a wry smile when reporters asked him about Clausen’s promise to help Notre Dame’s recruiting effort. “Let’s just say that our coaching staff buys into the message that they should be ‘fishers of men’---especially big, nasty D-linemen.”

Jimmy Clausen, part of the trinity of football-playing Clausens, is considered the best of the bunch. Said older brother Rick, “People thought I was a pretty good quarterback prospect, but I wasn’t the one. I kept telling people that I had a little brother coming after me whose cleats I wasn’t worthy to untie.”

Clausen attends the eponymous Oaks Christian High School in Westlake, CA. The highly coveted junior has passed for over 7200 yards in his career with 88 touchdowns. (A record 83 were Hail Marys.) He is 27-0 as a starter, including victories over archrivals Sin and Death.

Clausen has close to ideal size at 6-3, 200 lbs. with room to grow. His 40-yard dash time appeared to be a bit slow at 4.85, but his high school coach was quick to point out that Jimmy had been timed on a wet surface.

West coast recruiting specialist Greg Biggins has observed Clausen since his freshman year and says the prep star is the best quarterback prospect he has ever seen. Asked to explain what made Clausen so special, Biggins cited Clausen’s quick release and accuracy, as well as his ability to read defenses and raise the dead.

“He makes everyone around him better,” added Biggins. “Especially if they’re blind, lame, or possessed by demons.”

Clausen earns praise off the football field as well. He is renowned for is generosity to his teammates. “We’ll be hangin’ out, and Jimmy always picks up the tab for dinner,” recounts Oaks Christian running back, Marc Tyler. “The cool thing is that he only orders one pizza, but somehow ends up with enough to feed the whole team.”

Clausen’s announcement came after he had spent 40 days in seclusion in the California desert, meditating about his decision. During that time Pete Carroll offered him “bread,” dominion over the kingdoms and principalities of the earth, and a lakefront house for his parents, if Clausen would commit to USC.

According to sources, Clausen’s response was a terse, “Away from me you Trojan!”

Clausen will take advantage of early enrollment in January so that he can participate in spring drills next year. With the graduation of Brady Quinn after the 2006 season, the competition to be the next Irish signal caller will be wide open. Clausen expects to battle with freshmen Demetrius “Moses” Jones and Zack “Elijah” Frazer for the position.

Belying the hype surrounding his football plans, Clausen assumed a lower profile when discussing his academic intentions. He has not yet decided on a major, although Fr. Richard McBrien, a member of the Notre Dame faculty, expressed his desire that the young phenom pursue a degree in theology.

“I could really set the kid straight,” stated the notorious theologian and talk show personality.

There was no immediate indication as to when Clausen plans to cast the moneychangers out of the development office.

^^
Thats pretty good.

Notre Dame got a good one.


I wonder if Spurrier would go after Paulus? I know he wanted Clausen, but I dont think he has signed a top flight QB in his 2 years there?

Cicero wrote:I wonder if Spurrier would go after Paulus? I know he wanted Clausen, but I dont think he has signed a top flight QB in his 2 years there?

Supposedly, Paulus had narrowed his choices to six, and South Carolina wasn't on the list. I suppose it's possible that he might reevaluate in light of the fact that two of his six choices (ND and Michigan) have now essentially been taken away.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9393293

Four national championship rings?

This guy will end up being just another Clausen....nobody.

And the next thing Dennis Dodd writes worth reading, will be the first.

I guess he should have said he wants to come in and be 9-3 every year.

Great call, as ususal.

And if he does amount to nothing, I couldn't care less. Clausen's value to me is as a recruiter, not as a player. I'm sure Weis will get one of the 4 QB's he has to play at a very high level.

Opie was right, it is too hard to recruit to Notre Dame.

T REX wrote:http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9393293

Four national championship rings?

This guy will end up being just another Clausen....nobody.

I'll admit that it was a mistake for Clausen to mention four national championships a year and a half before he's even eligible to play college football. But tell me, Trixie, what would you be saying about him if he had just committed to Florida?

Once again, you're showing your anti-ND bias. Not surprising.

Killian wrote:And the next thing Dennis Dodd writes worth reading, will be the first.:

RACK

I wonder how some of these guys get where they are.

Cicero wrote:

Killian wrote:And the next thing Dennis Dodd writes worth reading, will be the first.:

RACK

I wonder how some of these guys get where they are.

Because it's about readership, not facts. He consistantly writes shit articles about ND, and the dumb fucks at NDNation always click the link and email him.

So when review time comes, he just says "Look at the hits my articles generate, look at the email I get".

And the slide down the journalistic ladder continues.

T REX wrote:http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9393293

Four national championship rings?

This guy will end up being just another Clausen....nobody.

What would we here at T1B do w/out this mind expanding analysis from the road runner?

And on the 7th day Urban said "Let there be football" thus making it so and Urban was glad

Geez....another brush-under-the-carpet like always.

Can't make a decent comment without...."what if it was florida".

IT'S NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!

So do you have any actual thoughts on the situation, or are you just going to regurgitate some hack's opinion as your own?

I know the answer, as does everyone else here.

Don't let your hate for ND skew everything you look at. Had Tebow said something similar, you would have lauded him for his desire to be perfect. An ND recruit says it and he's cocky.

How hard is it to live in your world with so many double standards?