Mike Corgan
Sports Editor
BEGINNING COLLEGE can be an intimidating experience for any freshman, but especially if your name is Jimmy Clausen – the most heralded high school football player out of California since John Elway.
Fortunately (or unfortunately) for Clausen, he will have the opportunity to be mentored by Notre Dame’s new Quarterbacks Coach Ron Powlus, who also had his fair share of publicity when he arrived on campus as a student a mere 14 years ago.
As a senior at Berwick Area High School in Pennsylvania, Powlus led his team to a state title and the #1 ranking in the nation. Along the way, he passed for nearly 3,000 yards, ran for almost 700 yards, and scored over 50 total touchdowns, a remarkable statistic considering that Powlus usually didn’t play the second half of games because his team was winning by such large margins.
For his spectacular season, Powlus received numerous accolades which included being named the Gatorade and Parade Magazine’s National High School Player of the Year, and USA Today’s Offensive Player of the Year.
As the most sought-after recruit in the nation, Powlus picked Notre Dame over a number of other high-profile schools. Based on Powlus’s storybook high school career, expectations for the prized recruit were astronomically high and Irish fans fully expected Powlus to join the long list of legendary Notre Dame quarterbacks.
Powlus played for the Irish from 1993-1997, was a two-year captain, and left Notre Dame with 20 school records. Despite these accomplishments, Powlus never lived up to the hype that surrounded him. Powlus never even came close to winning one of the two Heisman Trophies that ESPN analyst Beano Cook had famously predicted. More importantly, however, his record as a starter was a very mediocre 30-17-1.
Although some may see Powlus as a poor choice to guide Clausen and the other young quarterbacks, there are many benefits to having the one-time Irish signal caller as the quarterbacks coach that extend far beyond the playing field.
Powlus, having himself experienced what Clausen is going through right now, should understand more than anyone else on the coaching staff the challenges of being a quarterback at Notre Dame. Head Coach Charlie Weis knew he could take advantage of Powlus’s past playing experience.
“I felt that what these guys really needed was a mentor,” Weis said. “ . . . I think that Ron, having walked the walk and talked the talk, I think that will be an invaluable addition and complement to what I do.”
At only 33 years of age, Powlus has been able to relate to the players in a different way than other coaches. Furthermore, Powlus’s role as a “buffer” between Coach Weis and the other quarterbacks has been extremely beneficial to the development of the three young quarterbacks.
“I've been in all of their shoes - trying to win the [starting quarterback] job, having the job, being the starter, and being young and new,” said Powlus. “I try to relate to them and see where they are and where they want to go."
Using his own college experience, Powlus has been able to help the young quarterbacks deal with the media, encouraging the young quarterbacks to enjoy themselves while disregarding public perceptions.
“It's a fun job to be the quarterback at Notre Dame,” Powlus said. “And there's a lot of attention. People call it pressure. I call it attention. That's part of the game. That's part of what you buy into.”
Contact Mike at mcorgan@nd.edu.
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