The Hype Begins

So, Jimmy Clausen, kin to legends Casey and Rick of the famed Clausen football clan, gave his verbal committment to play football for Notre Dame. He has been hyped since last year, even moreso than current UGA freshman Matthew Stafford, who a noted recruiting analyst with Rivals.com called the "best quarterback he's ever seen in his 15 years in the business." Why the hype? Well, for one he's a Clausen. Don't laugh, his father created a hype machine and it has worked out for them; they each played, or will play, for prestigious football programs. However, his older brothers helped contribute to the demise of Tennessee. Second, he's a Clausen. Third, he's 19 and will be 20 when he graduates high school. Yes, you read that right. In fact, Mr. & Mrs. Clausen held every one of their kids back on purpose so they could develop physically, mentally, and apparently, ugly. Thus, it's no wonder Casey, Rick, and Jimmy each dominated in high school; they were eligible for social security upon graduation! And last but not least, Notre Dame, the media darling. Beano Cock will soon say Clausen will win 4 heismans and cure cancer.

Cluasen's goofier looking than his brothers and with our luck, and my hope, he'll follow the same path his brothers took, which is to fall flat on his weird looking face and accomplish nothing significant. Unless you count these feats as significant: 1) Begin UT's demise into mediocrity (Casey), 2) Lose 4 straight to UGA, even stating he could do it with 1 arm tied behind his back (Casey), 3) Never win a SEC Championship (Casey and Rick), 4) Play in more Peach Bowls than SEC Championships (Casey), 5) Lose to Maryland 30-3 (Casey. And this is not a jab at Maryland, UT should never lose 30-3, especially in a bowl. But I'm glad they did.), 6) Lose to Vanderbilt (Rick), and 7) Lead UT to a 5-6 record (Rick).

Note: Finally, here's a grounded article written by Dennis Dodd.