Figured you wouldn't want to miss it! Terry Bob McClellan Rivals.com Football Recruiting Both of his older brothers not only started at quarterback at Tennessee, but both were MVPs of New Year's Day bowl games. Rivals.com Jimmy Clausen isn't letting the hype go to his head. He hands off to the son of a former Pro Bowl running back. His defense is led by the son of a former Pro Bowl linebacker. That very same linebacker is his team's defensive coordinator. A former Pro Bowl quarterback who has coached against him said he has never seen a quicker release. Among that coach's contemporaries were Bradshaw, Staubach and Fouts. His personal quarterbacks coach said he's the LeBron James of high school football. All right then. As long as Jimmy Clausen isn't being overly hyped. Whew, that's a relief. The thing is, Clausen doesn't know any differently. The youngest of Jim and Cathy Clausen's three boys has been 10 going on the NFL since he was, well, 10. He is not only the top quarterback in the Class of 2007, but he is the Rivals.com Junior of the Year after completing 67 percent of his passes for 2,778 yards and 30 touchdowns with only five interceptions for Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, Calif. "It's not really that difficult to stay on top of things," Clausen said in an exclusive phone interview with Rivals.com. "It started so early for me because of my older brothers and their careers. "I think it's a privilege to get this attention. I'm trying to take it all in and stay levelheaded. I've learned a lot from my brothers as they went through the recruiting process. I've gotten a lot of help from them and my parents." Class of 2007 Top 10 1. Jimmy Clausen, QB 2. John Brown, DT 3. Josh Oglesby, OT 4. Noel Devine, RB 5. Deonte Thompson, WR 6. Ronald Johnson, CB 7. Joe McKnight, ATH 8. Ben Martin, DE 9. Ryan Mallett, QB 10. Arrelious Benn, WR Jimmy (6-3, 200) is believed to combine the best of his older brothers. Casey, never quite beloved on the Hill, was a fierce competitor who started 44 games in his collegiate career and went 34-10. He finished second on the Vols' all-time passing yardage list. Rick, the transfer from LSU, was the least physically gifted of the three, but he was a consensus-builder. He was the guy his teammates rallied behind, the heady player who had to use guile to beat you. Jimmy already has the strongest arm of the three. He also has tapped into the knowledge of the older two, often watching game tapes with them to discuss coverages and progressions. "I've tried to learn from everything they've been through," Jimmy said. "Things they wish they had done, good and bad. I'm ahead of a lot of kids because I've seen them go through everything in the classroom, in meetings, during games, studying playbooks. I've been around for all of that." Perhaps the best quality about Jimmy Clausen is that he realizes, even with his exposure to the innerworkings of college football, there still is much to learn. Even he admits he wants to work on his lower-body strength – "I'm not the fastest guy in the world," which is all right because his brothers' 40 times were clocked with calendars – and he says you can never watch too much film. It's the kind of attitude that makes nearly every college coach in America want his very own Clausen. But now there is only one to go around. "I'm gonna make a decision probably around the beginning of the season," Clausen said about choosing a college. "Right now I'm just gonna take my time, look over my options, cut it down to a few schools and go from there."
I really have a hard time believing Jimmy Clausen is better than this kid. Phil Simms said he's the best HS prospect at QB he's ever seen. I really hope UT gets Jimmy Clausen. It will be fun watching them go up against each other. We'll see who is best. http://georgiasports.blogspot.com/2006/02/matt-stafford-videos-color-me.html
Maybe Phil hasn't seen Jimmy Clausen! Seriously though, Clausen is getting a huge build up everywhere. There is a lot of difference however, between being the best (or one of the best) HS QB's in the last 25 years, and being a great college QB. Terry
Oh and there is no doubt that Matt Stafford is a great HS Qb prospect. Everybody who saw him, liked his game.
I can't access that link. The Gators are interested in John Brantley a QB in Florida who has several relatives who played for the Gators. He may not be as highly ranked as Clausen but his style would fit right in with the Gators. Gator Bill
Looks like Jimmy Clausen is favoring 1 SEC team and it's not Tenn, it's So.Carolina and Steve Spurrier. One thing he said about Spurrier developing QB's that I think is inaccurate. Spurrier developes QB's for success in his system in college. I don't believe that he has ever had a QB be successfull in the NFL though. Certainly with Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, USC could claim that they develope QB's for the NFL, maybe Charlie Weis can say that as well with the job he did on late round draft choice Tom Brady and how Brady Quinn went from just another college QB to having a shot at being a high #1 draft pick next year. Tenn with Cutliffe certainly can make that claim with the Mannings on Cutliffes resume'. Terry