Jimmy Clausen Is Going Pro - UPDATE

While the school is yet to make any official announcements regarding 2010, if you can read between the lines it's pretty easy to see what's coming.  As for the future of Charlie Weis in South Bend, well, normally after a game on the west coast like the one the Irish are playing against Stanford on Saturday, Weis would stay out on the west coast to make some of his recruiting trips.

Not this year.  Athletic director Jack Swarbrick says that Weis will return to South Bend following the game, which is a pretty good indicator that he won't be back as head coach.

The other question surrounding the team is whether or not the recently punched Jimmy Clausen will be coming back for his senior season.  While Clausen hasn't said anything about his decision, his family's real estate agent is tipping his hand.

Century 21 real estate agent Kathye Currey told the Tribune on Tuesday that the house Clausen's family owns at 703 E. Angela Blvd. in South Bend has been sold.


"It has an accepted offer on it right now," Currey said of the property that is mere steps from campus. "It was for sale, it listed on the middle of July of this year. And it just went pending last week.


"Pending (means) the sellers have accepted an offer on it. It's sold. It just has not closed with the title company yet."

Would his family have sold their home had they been planning on being back in South Bend next season?

Nope.

So it's pretty clear that the Irish are going to have a different look next season, both on the sidelines and in the huddle.  While Clausen will be missed, it's nice to know that the team still has Dayne Crist ready to take over the quarterback job.

What worries me is the possibility of the guy with the name that was made for Notre Dame -- even more so than Crist -- Golden Tate.  My gut tells me that if Clausen is leaving and Weis is being fired, Tate will go to the NFL as well.  He's probably "too small" to be a first round pick, but he's also way too talented not to get drafted on the first day.  Personally my opinion of Tate is that he'll be the next Steve Smith.

Small, but ferocious and bound to make anybody who passes on him in the draft regret it.

UPDATE: The Chicago Tribune has since retracted their statement that the Clausen family has sold their home.  Apparently they got some bad information from the real estate agent.  I guess when they asked her about the Clausen family home she got it confused for the Weis family home.  Or maybe the pickle magnate lives in South Bend too but is getting ready to move as well.  Who knows?