By Jon Mahoney, Special to SI.com, from RISE
It's just a number. Well, to Jimmy Clausen it is.
The Oaks Christian senior quarterback has been hailed as the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2007 since he stepped onto the high school gridiron and has been hyped as the best prep signal caller from California since John Elway.
Yet, the 6-foot-3, 207-pounder would rather avoid the attention. Clausen believes his acclaim is the result of having two older brothers, Casey and Rick, who were both star quarterbacks in high school and played Division I college football. Casey is second to Peyton Manning on Tennessee's all-time passing list, while Rick suited up for LSU and Tennessee.
"They've been there for me every step of the way," says Clausen. "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am. I don't think there's another kid out there with two brothers who went to major Division I programs."
But as much as Clausen wants to escape the media blitz that's bombarded him, there's no way he can avoid it. Not when you've been called the LeBron James of high school football, made your commitment to Notre Dame last April at the College Football Hall of Fame and have been featured on ESPN's Outside the Lines.
Clausen's main gripe with the amount of press he's received is that the rest of his talented teammates have gotten lost in the shuffle. Oaks Christian has eight other seniors who have either committed to (or are receiving serious interest from) Division-I programs: running back Marc Tyler, safety/wide receiver Marshall Jones, linebacker Casey Matthews, linemen Duke Lemmens and Michael Ebbitt, wide receiver Sean Wiser, defensive back Anthony Gildon and offensive lineman Cory Yriarte, who transferred from Paraclete this past spring.
"It's kind of weird because we're all going to be Division I players," says Clausen, who led the Lions to four consecutive Southern Section Division XI titles. "We just have numbers next to us in the recruiting rankings, but we consider us all equals."
