Hard to chart ND's depth
With tough early slate, NEIL HAYES says Irish QBs may be better off not winning opening job
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame's quarterback of the future might not be the player who wins the top-secret competition under way to determine the starter heading into the season opener Sept. 1 against Georgia Tech.
Evan Sharpley, Demetrius Jones and Jimmy Clausen might even increase their chances of becoming Brady Quinn's long-term successor by finishing second or even third on the depth chart when the season starts.
The Irish must replace eight offensive starters from last season while negotiating an early gauntlet that has them playing four of their first six games on the road. The most experienced quarterback on the roster, Sharpley, completed one pass last year. Add it all up, and it's not a formula for building offensive cohesion or stability at the position.
Expect coach Charlie Weis to make a change if his first choice struggles against Georgia Tech, Penn State or Michigan. That's why the competition could continue long after Weis decides who will start the opener. If the three are as evenly matched as Weis has suggested, who will start at quarterback for the Irish could become a weekly debate.
"It's really going to depend on how each of us plays," Sharpley said. "Ultimately, it's up to [the coaches] and who they think gives our team the best chance of winning. That's what it comes down to, getting that 'W.'"
A season of uncertainty
Depth has been the theme of Notre Dame's training camp thus far. Most of the big names who personified Notre Dame football in recent years are gone. In their place is more depth and speed than Weis had in his first two seasons.
How quickly inexperienced players develop and whether the increased speed translates into big plays on Saturdays will help determine how the Irish fare as they set sail for a season of uncertainty.
"We've got a lot more players who can play in the game," Weis said. "If you ask me how well [they will play], I don't know that yet. But I do know that I'm not going to blink an eye about taking someone out and putting somebody else in, and there was a time here when that was not the case. There were times you had to stay in because there was nobody else to go in."
The lack of experience is most glaring at quarterback, where the more seasoned Sharpley, the more athletic Jones and the more trumpeted Jimmy Clausen are competing for the starting job.
Deciding which of the three gives Notre Dame the best chance to win ranks among the biggest decisions Weis has had to make since coming to South Bend. It should be fascinating to watch unfold, if for no other reason than a solid case can be made for each of the three.
The offense Weis has installed during camp is not as complex as the one Brady Quinn ran during his fourth year as Notre Dame's starter. Still, as Brady Quinn's backup last season, Sharpley has a better grasp of the offense and all its complexities, which would seem to give him an edge in that all-important area.
He may have completed only one pass for seven yards, but he played in seven games last season, giving him a taste of what it's like to perform in a big-game atmosphere.
Sharpley a quick read
"His biggest attribute, outside of having natural ability, is he's a very smart kid," said Rich Hulkow, Sharpley's coach at Marshall (Mich.) High School. "He's a quick study, and he makes good decisions. All the physical ability a player might have goes out the window if you can't read defenses and make good decisions."
Hulkow -- who also coached quarterbacks Jimmy Clement, a two-year starter at Miami of Ohio, and Ryan Van Dyke, a former starter at Michigan State -- said he knew Sharpley was special after he completed a pass to his third option in a big game against Kalamazoo Central during his sophomore year.
"I didn't teach him that," Hulkow said. "At that point of his career, we were just trying to teach him basics. A lot of quarterbacks might see that, but they wouldn't have the courage to make that throw. That's when we realized we had a real good quarterback."
Mobility is Jones' strength
Jones is the most athletic of the three, which would seem to give the former Morgan Park star an advantage because he has the ability to move the chains with his feet as well as his arm.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez prefers mobile quarterbacks and has had much success using the spread offense to help create mismatches in the running game. Weis spent a day with Rodriguez and his staff during the offseason in an effort to find new ways to feature Jones.
"If coach Weis went all the way to West Virginia, it wasn't just for vacation," Morgan Park coach Lexie Spurlock said. "He came back with something for Demetrius. Because he can run, it would be wise to implement some of those types of plays for him."
Jimmy Clausen is hype-cast
Jimmy Clausen is the program's most heralded recruit since Ron Powlus arrived on campus in 1993. If he is indeed the quarterback of the future -- and if he has been the best passer of the three, as Weis said earlier in camp -- then why not let him start gaining the experience that could help him live up to the hype?
The much-rumored medical procedure that Jimmy Clausen either did or did not undergo during the offseason has added another layer of intrigue to the quarterback derby.
"Can [Jimmy Clausen] throw the ball deep?" Weis said. "I guess we'll have to wait until Sept. 1 and see."
"Wait and see" is Weis' pat answer when asked which of the three will start against Georgia Tech -- and it might end up being the best way to describe who will start from week to week once the season gets under way.
THREE-ARMED MONSTERHere's the skinny on the three players competing for Notre Dame's starting quarterback job:
EVAN SHARPLEY
Junior, 6-2, 216
His great uncle, Jim Ninowski, played quarterback at Michigan State and for the Browns, Lions, Saints and Redskins during a 12-year NFL career.
DEMETRIUS JONES
Sophomore, 6-4, 213
The last time the Irish won a national title, in 1988, they were led by a running quarterback, Tony Rice.
Jimmy Clausen
Freshman, 6-3, 207
History is against him. Never before has a Notre Dame quarterback started the first game of his freshman year.
[More
at www.suntimes.com]
