ESPN+ subscribers got a treat Thursday when Tom VanHaaren released a list of the most hyped recruits in recent years from ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25. The list goes back to the 2007 recruiting class. At No. 10, Notre Dame qualifies for this list.
In the Irish’s case, you have go back to the earliest recruiting class used for this list to find their most hyped prospect. The name that was drawn could qualify for both this and a most overrated recruit list. That happens when your name is Jimmy Clausen.
Clausen’s entry begins by mentioning how he announced his commitment to Notre Dame by getting out of a limo at the College Football Hall of Fame with a 2000s hairdo and his high school state championship rings. Since he was ranked eighth in his recruiting class, he must have felt he earned the right to do that. As it turned out, he had Johnny Manziel’s personality but never anything close to a Heisman Trophy season.
Over Clausen’s three years in South Bend, the Irish went 16-21, though he wasn’t the only reason for that and not even as horrible as some might remember. Regardless, his hopes as a first-round NFL pick were dashed, and his parting image with the program was a black eye from a sucker punch by a fan. At least he knew how to go out in style, even if it wasn’t pretty.