Jimmy Clausen
| Jimmy Clausen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| College | Notre Dame |
| Conference | 1A - Independent |
| Sport | Football |
| Position | QB |
| Jersey # | 7 |
| Class | Freshman |
| Career | 2007–present |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 207 lb (94 kg) |
| Nationality | USA |
| Born | September 21, 1987 Thousand Oaks, California |
| High school | Oaks Christian High School, Westlake Village, California |
| Awards | |
| 2006 Hall Trophy 2006 USA Today Offensive Player of the Year | |
James Richard "Jimmy" Clausen (born September 21, 1987, in Thousand Oaks, California[2]) is an American football player. He is a quarterback at the University of Notre Dame. [3]
High school career
Clausen had an outstanding prep career at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California. In 2006, he lead the Oaks Christian Lions to its third straight Division III state title, throwing 49 touchdown passes for the season. Clausen never lost a football game he started in his prep career (42-0) and also holds California state records for career touchdowns (144). He threw for 10,677 yards in his career at Oaks Christian.[3] As a senior Clausen won the 2006 Hall Trophy for the nation's top high school football player and was also named “Offensive Player of the Year” by the USA Today.[4] Clausen was also named the Co Player of the Year, along with USC running back Joe McKnight, by Parade Magazine.[5]
As the younger brother of two former Division I quarterbacks – Casey and Rick Clausen, who both played at Tennessee – Jimmy Clausen gained media attention very early. During his junior season, a Sports Illustrated feature dubbed him “The Kid with The Golden Arm”.[6] Recruiting analysts considered him a “once in a decade” quarterback talent and ranked him as the #1 overall prospect of the 2007 high school class.[7] Because of his quick release, some in the media compared him to Joe Namath.[6]
Critics have questioned whether Clausen's success in high school was largely a product of his team – containing almost a dozen players expected to play for NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision teams, including a highly-ranked running back, Marc Tyler – and the inferior talent level of its opponents.[8]
On April 22, 2006, Clausen verbally committed to the University of Notre Dame.[9] He was the most highly touted recruit for the Fighting Irish since the arrival of Ron Powlus in 1993.[10]
College career
Clausen, who graduated high school one semester early, enrolled at Notre Dame on January 16, 2007.[11] In Notre Dame's only preseason practice open to the media, Clausen threw only a number of short passes, casting some doubt on the strength of his arm after off-season elbow surgery.[12][13]
Following Notre Dame's opening loss to Georgia Tech in the 2007 season, Clausen was named the starting quarterback. [14] He is currently 0-2 as the Irish starting quarterback, including a shutout loss to previously winless Michigan.
On June 23, Clausen was cited for illegally transporting alcohol outside of Belmont Beverage in South Bend, Indiana. According to published reports, Clausen entered a pre-trial diversion program which will erase the citation if he stays out of trouble for the next 12 months. [15]
References
- ^ Army All Americans Recognized
- ^ Player Bio at the Official Athletic Site of the University of Notre Dame
- ^ a b DiPrimio, Pete (January 5, 2007). "Notre Dame future starts with new quarterback". Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.
- ^ "All-USA players and coach of the year". USA Today. January 12, 2007.
- ^ "Clausen Parade Co-Player of the Year, Kamara Parada All American". UHND.com. February 4, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
- ^ a b Anderson, Kelli (November 28, 2005). "The Kid with the Golden Arm". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Rivals.com Rivals100 of 2007
- ^ Evans, Thayer (January 6, 2007). "For Record-Setting Recruit, Full-Throated Praise and Whispered Doubts". New York Times.
- ^ Friend, Tom (April 21, 2006). "Third in prized Clausen clan to verbally commit to Irish". ESPN.
- ^ "Jimmy Clausen Commits to Notre Dame". UHND.com. April 24, 2006.
- ^ "Clausen enrolls at Notre Dame". Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. January 17, 2007.
- ^ McClure, Vaugn (March 20, 2007). "Arm injury clouds Clausen's spring status". Chicago Sun Times.
- ^ Rittenberg, Adam (August 6, 2007). "Weis using doubters as motivation for Irish". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Clausen gets starting nod at QB against Penn State". ESPN.com. September 4, 2007.
- ^ "SBT: Clausen Cited for Transporting Alcohol". UHND.com. August 17, 2007.