High School Career
Clausen had an outstanding prep career at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California. In 2006, he threw 49 touchdown passes for the season to lead the Lions to their first ever Division III state title over Cardinal Newman High School (Santa Rosa, CA). Clausen never lost a football game he started in his prep career (42-0) and also holds the California state record for career touchdowns (146). He threw for 10,677 yards in his career at Oaks Christian. As a senior, Clausen won the 2006 Hall Trophy for the nation's top high school football player and was also named “Offensive Player of the Year” by the USA Today. Clausen was also named the Co Player of the Year, along with USC running back Joe McKnight, by Parade Magazine.
As the younger brother of two former Division I quarterbacks—Casey and Rick Clausen, who both played at Tennessee—Jimmy Clausen gained media attention very early. Beginning in eighth grade, his parents paid his tutelage under professional quarterbacks coach Steve Clarkson. During his junior season, a Sports Illustrated feature dubbed him “The Kid with The Golden Arm”. Recruiting analysts considered him a “once in a decade” quarterback talent and ranked him as the #1 overall prospect of the 2007 high school class. Because of his quick release, some in the media compared him to Joe Namath.
Critics have questioned whether Clausen's success in high school was largely a product of his team—containing almost a dozen players that went on to play for NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision teams, including a highly-ranked running back, Marc Tyler—and the inferior talent level of its opponents. Many of these critics pointed to the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in which Clausen was outplayed by fellow 2007 quarterback recruit, Ryan Mallett. Further, Clausen's age is a subject of criticism: he started kindergarten at six and repeated sixth grade, thus he was 19 years old at the time of his early graduation.
On April 22, 2006, Clausen verbally committed to the University of Notre Dame. He was the most highly touted recruit for the Fighting Irish since the arrival of Ron Powlus in 1993. Clausen announced his oral commitment at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana, after arriving in a stretch Hummer limousine. He also said his goal was to win multiple national titles with the Irish.
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