Highly touted Clausen announces he?ll play for Irish

Jimmy Clausen, rated as one of the top high school football players in the nation heading into his senior season, announced Saturday he will play for Notre Dame in 2007.

Clausen, the most highly touted recruit for the Fighting Irish since Ron Powlus arrived in 1993, announced his decision at the College Football Hall of Fame four hours before Notre Dame?s annual Blue-Gold spring game.

Clausen, whose two older brothers Casey and Rick played at Tennessee, had narrowed his choices to the Irish, Southern Cal and South Carolina. He said Irish coach Charlie Weis, who helped turn Brady Quinn into a record-setting quarterback, was the biggest factor in his decision.

?I think every high school quarterback would want to play under coach Weis,? he said.

He wasn?t considering Notre Dame before Weis arrived. But Clausen, who wore three rings he earned from playing football on his right hand, said he was influenced by Weis? four Super Bowl rings.

?That?s what I?m going to come here for, to try to get four national championship rings,? he said to the cheers of the 300 or so Notre Dame fans who attended the news conference.

Clausen said he will enroll in January at Notre Dame, which just began allowing early enrollees this year.

Clausen intends to begin helping Weis recruit immediately. Running back Marc Tyler, another highly rated recruit and a teammate of Clausen?s at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, Calif., attended the news conference.

?I?m going to try to get the best athletes I can, starting with Marc,? he said.

Clausen has led his high school team to a 27-0 record the past two seasons. He threw for 2,778 yards and 30 touchdowns last year. A year earlier he passed for 3,665 yards.

Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said Clausen is the most highly touted quarterback he?s seen in his 27 years in the business, at least publicity-wise.

?He has two older brothers who were accomplished, big-time passers and he?s been training for this since he was 5 years old,? Lemming said. ?He?s a precision passer and he?s miles ahead of everyone else I?ve seen this year.?

But Lemming said that doesn?t mean Clausen will automatically be the starter after Quinn leaves following this season. Lemming said Clausen will be challenged by Demetrius Jones and Zach Frazer, two incoming freshmen.

?Demetrius athletically is the best of all of them,? Lemming said. ?If he just gets polished as a passer, because he?s got a great arm, he could be the guy.?

But he said Clausen is the better passer right now.

?I haven?t seen a better quarterback film in the past 10 years coming out of high school,? Lemming said.