Sat, Jun 03, 2006 page18

• Notre Dame snags California QB Michael Williams

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  During a break in his Algebra II class recently, the nation's top-rated high school quarterback casually flipped open his black cellphone, began typing on its keypad and then pushed send.

  Thirty miles away, a speedy defensive back felt his cellphone vibrate. Sitting in anatomy class at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, California, he sneaked a peak.

  "GO IRISH," it read.

  "Quarterbacks," said the recipient of the message, Michael Williams, who has a scholarship offer from Notre Dame, "I guess they do that."

  Jimmy Clausen, the highly regarded quarterback, had already started introducing himself to the country's best prep football players before announcing at a news conference at the College Football Hall of Fame last month that he had chosen to play for Notre Dame in a year and a half instead of the University of Southern California.

  Clausen passed for 2,778 yards and 30 touchdowns last season for Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California. He could break California's prep record of 132 career touchdown passes.

  He used to initiate his telephone calls and text messages to destinations like Florida and Maryland with a self-assured greeting: "I'm Jimmy Clausen, one of the top quarterbacks from California." Now that he is preparing to enroll at Notre Dame in January, his calls and text messages include a pitch about joining him at the school. He said he specifically talks to players about the university's football tradition, academics and Coach Charlie Weis.

  Clausen said that Weis was the main reason he had decided to attend Notre Dame, but that Weis had not pressured him to contact recruits.

  He said that he did not contact players every day, but that on some days he sent as many as four text messages and made two telephone calls. He said he routinely stayed in touch with a group of eight players at least once every two weeks.

  "It's going to be their decision," said Clausen, 18. "I'm just trying to establish a relationship and try to tell them how special Notre Dame is and try to get them to come in as well as the other guys that have committed to bring Notre Dame back to where it's meant to be."

  Regarded as more talented than his older brothers, Casey and Rick, both of whom played quarterback at Tennessee, Clausen is keenly aware of the impact he can have on Notre Dame's recruiting.

  Tailback Marc Tyler, who rushed for 2,196 yards and 39 touchdowns last year, lives with Clausen and has also been offered a scholarship by the Irish.

  "I can't do it all by myself to win a national championship," Clausen said. "I need everybody around me."

  His announcement at the College Football Hall of Fame, just a mile and a half from Notre Dame, took place five hours before the Irish's annual Blue-Gold spring football game, which attracted countless recruits.

  Clausen said he obtained the telephone numbers of the players during visits to schools and from Internet recruiting analysts.

  "The big thing is that great players want to play with other great players," said Jerry Crabtree, the national recruiting editor for Rivals.com, a network of college sports sites. "We've seen it at Texas. We see it at USC. We saw it at Florida State and Bobby Bowden when they made their run to the top of the recruiting rankings. With Clausen, you can expect Notre Dame to go out there and have some success at the skill positions."

  Securing Clausen further signifies Notre Dame's budding re-emergence as a national college football power. Last year, the Irish went 9-3 in Weis' first year as coach, an improvement of three victories from the previous season.

  With senior quarterback Brady Quinn returning and a favorable schedule that features seven home games, Notre Dame is considered a prime contender for the national championship next season.

  NCAA rules prohibit Weis from commenting about Clausen until he arrives on campus, but Clausen's decision to attend Notre Dame helps ease questions about whether Weis' blustery demeanor would turn off elite recruits.

  Clausen's commitment to attend Notre Dame already seems to be paying off for the Irish. Less than three weeks after Clausen announced his decision, Notre Dame received a commitment from Duval Kamara, a prized wide receiver from Hoboken, New Jersey, who chose the Irish over Miami, Penn State, USC, Virginia and Maryland.

  The school has six oral commitments, according to IrishEyes.com, a Web site devoted to Notre Dame athletics. Oral commitments are nonbinding. The first day a letter of intent can be signed is Feb. 7.

  Kamara said that he and Clausen had had at least 10 conversations since they first talked in March. He said the relationship did not necessarily deliver him to Notre Dame, but he admitted that the prospect of playing with Clausen made the school even more appealing.

  "He's supposed to be the LeBron James of football," Kamara said.

  Mike Ragone, a rugged tight end who attends Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and who committed to Notre Dame eight days after Clausen, cited him as one of three reasons he chose the Irish.

  "It was definitely a factor," Ragone said. "He's the best quarterback in the country."

  Jamie Newberg, national recruiting analyst for Scout.com, a network of college sports sites, said: "You get a guy like a Jimmy Clausen who's arguably the top player in the country, and he's going to be a magnet for other kids. We've seen the domino effect with other schools and prospects in the past. He's certainly going to be an extraordinarily huge factor in what they do in recruiting this year."

  Oklahoma enjoyed a similar boost when quarterback Rhett Bomar committed to the Sooners in July 2003, the summer before his senior year, which was considered an early coup. The Sooners then reeled in a top-10 recruiting class that featured four fellow US Army all-Americans, including the junior tailback Adrian Peterson.

  The players Clausen has contacted say they appreciate his interest.

  Deonte Thompson, a wide receiver at Glades Central Community High School in Belle Glade, Florida, said he frequently talks to Clausen and often receives text messages from him.

  Thompson, who has more than 20 scholarship offers, including from Miami, USC and Texas, said: "I want to go to a school with a quarterback that can deliver me the ball. I think he can do it."

  Arrelious Benn, a wide receiver who attends Dunbar High School in Baltimore, said he was impressed with Clausen's initiative. The two met at Notre Dame's spring game last month.

  "I love him," said Benn, who is also looking at USC, Florida State, Miami, Maryland and Illinois. "He's a good guy."

  Clausen's courting of his fellow Californian Williams has posed one quandary. Their schools are scheduled to play on Sept. 22.

  "He's my opponent, so it's kind of weird," said Williams, who is being recruited by a host of schools, including Michigan, USC and Arizona. "I mean, you're friends with your opponents off the field, but this is kind of strange, because we kind of have somewhat of a heated rivalry."

  That won't deter Clausen.

  "The main reason why I'm talking to these guys is to make them comfortable with me, because I am the quarterback and the quarterback is usually the leader on the team," he said. "If they feel comfortable with me, I think they'll feel comfortable with coming to Notre Dame."
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