Joe Raymond / AP Former Oaks Christian School standout Jimmy Clausen enters his first season at Notre Dame as one of three candidates to start at quarterback.

Not too long ago, a true freshman wasn't even eligible to suit up in college.

Not too long ago, it was considered a big mistake allowing someone straight out of high school to be a starter, or even a backup, or even the water boy.

These are much different times, when high school stars can jump right to the pros and make an immediate impact, when the word "phenom" is used much too frequently, when high schoolers are as well-known as professionals.

Call it the MySpace Generation. Everyone is in the spotlight; everyone is wanting more than just 15 minutes of fame. And there are plenty of outlets to feed people's self-promoting needs.

True freshmen playing big-time minutes and being counted on more than seniors is the norm. Heck, USC has made a living out of it, and the living has been pretty good for the Trojans.

Years ago, Jimmy Clausen would have been given a year, maybe two, to adjust to the college life and the college game. Now, he's suppose to be a star from Day 1. You may think this shift in expectations is because of overzealous coaches, but it's been more about the athletes.

High school athletes are more prepared for the jump to college. They are used to the national spotlight, to professional-type schemes, to traveling all across the country to play and to dealing with mass media.

Notre Dame figures to be an average football team this year, although because of its deal with NBC, it will still be seen on national TV nearly every week. Notre Dame needs an attention-grabber, someone who could persuade fans to flip on the Irish games for a little while.

Clausen could have that type of drawing power.

The Oaks Christian School graduate has been prepped for this stage pretty much since he was born. He was everybody's All-American in high school, the type of star that elicited strong opinions from area fans, coaches and players. I still get calls from people who believe he was "overrated" and that he never played against a defense that was good. He was just a senior in high school, but people talked about him like he was the starting quarterback for an NFL team.

Some worry if he is thrown into the fire too early, any type of failure could forever damage his confidence. Clausen never struck me as lacking confidence. Remember him flashing his CIF championship rings when he made the trip to South Bend, Ind., to announce he was headed to Notre Dame?

Whatever you think about Clausen, you cannot deny the kid has a strong arm and ran an intricate offense while at Oaks Christian. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is a QB guru who was the offensive coordinator for three Super Bowl champions and helped make Tom Brady into a superstar, so you have to trust he has a keen eye for talent when it comes to the quarterback position. He wanted Clausen on his team. That speaks volumes for Clausen's talent.

Now, it's time to see what Clausen can do. I know area football fans, no matter how they feel about Clausen, will be watching.

— Jon Catalini is The Star's sports editor. E-mail address: jcatalini@VenturaCountyStar.com.