The Iceman Cometh

Sorry, I've been on vacation. So when I got home yesterday and heard high school junior Jimmy Clausen had verbally committed to Notre Dame I was ecstatic. But before I allowed myself to get too crazy and buy plane tickets for the next 5 years to the BCS title game locale, I remembered one haunting name...


Ron Powlus


Clausen is supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread and his brothers were all pretty decent college QBs. Over the past 2 years he's thrown 88 TDs to only 11 INTs while leading his team to a 27-0 record. But people forget Powlus's hype. He was supposedly the best high school quarterback ever! Some predicted he might win 3 Heisman's while at Notre Dame.

Weis is shaping up to be a pretty good college coach, is recruiting well, and has a strong history with QBs - Tom Brady, Brady Quinn (possibly premature). But Lou Holtz already had 1 national championship under his belt when Powlus arrived, perennial top-5 recruiting classes, and was no slouch with QBs himself - Tony Rice, Rick Mirer, Kevin McDougal.

All I'm saying is this - the kid's still in high school! It certainly bodes well, but let's not count our chickens before they've hatched. High school "prodigies" flame out more often than they live up to the hype. My guess: Clausen will be average, but his big name will allow Notre Dame to recruit the other stud athletes that will put them over the top.