Eric Hansen

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - It keeps coming back to the urban legends and the real sideshows that are almost more incredulous than the embellished folklore.

This is how quarterback Jimmy Clausen’s first seven months as a Notre Dame freshman have been defined. Short on football, long on fiction. There is almost no line between rumor and reality where he is concerned.

Some examples:
Clausen’s father, Jim, goes knocking on doors in the neighborhood abutting Notre Dame’s campus asking people without “For Sale” signs on the lawn what their asking price is.
True.

Clausen’s May surgery to clean bone spurs from his right (throwing) elbow is considered season-ending if not career-threatening.
False. He’s already throwing.

Clausen can throw farther and more accurately left-handed than the two quarterbacks he is competing against for the starting job can throw right-handed.
Maybe.

And those are just a few examples yet somehow Clausen exists in a bubble of near normalcy so far.

That is the most telling sign that the 6-foot-3, 207-pound Californian can make a realistic run at being under center when the Irish open the season Sept. 1 against a Georgia Tech defense that is expected to be one of the nation’s best.

Clausen’s pedigree, performance and persistence are all well-documented. He’s not just a student of the game, he’s a scholar of it, and a teacher’s pet. He knew he would be following Brady Quinn in South Bend, but he's managed to remain unfazed by that even with all the buzz that he is Notre Dame's next golden-boy quarterback.

Clausen came to spring practice with the right attitude, humble and willing to learn. He was poised, didn’t make any mistakes, and showed advanced accuracy. His footwork has been impeccable, his learning curve uncanny, his maturity, attention to detail, command in the huddle all what you might expect from a college junior.

But the biggest and most persistent question has always been: Would Clausen’s hype choke off his talent?

It’s the mental side that can make him look and play like a freshman, not an inability to swallow Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis’ playbook buffet style.

He is not an absolute. We know that because Justin Zwick, not Troy Smith, was supposed to win a Heisman Trophy at Ohio State. And Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus was predicted to win two Heismans during his playing days with the Irish.

Realistically Clausen is a mystery, a mystery with staggering possibilities but also one with real competition. Recent defector Zach Frazer, headed to Connecticut after emerging from spring practice as the Notre Dame's fourth option at quarterback, could have started for several of the post-Lou Holtz Era Irish teams.

There will be more questions about Clausen as the Irish distance themselves from the first day of fall practice Aug. 6. Does sophomore Demetrius Jones have a higher ceiling? Can Jim Clausen and Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis co-exist? Will junior Evan Sharpley outwork Clausen, the freshman? Is high school senior and Notre Dame commit Dayne Crist better than all of them?

What is certain, if Clausen becomes the starter, it’s national news. If Clausen doesn’t become the starter, it’s national news. If he scratches his nose, it’s national news.

Stay tuned.

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