"I will say this, you can't understand how impressive it is for a kid to go from out here on the West Coast where the stadiums hold 60,000 to 70,000 stands, to Tennessee where the facilities are the best in the country and the stadium holds over 100,000. For a kid out here, that's unbelievable. I'm not going to sway Nick and Trevor one way or the other in their decisions. However, they've asked me several times about Tennessee and I'm very honest with them. I've told them that if you want to play big-time college football, there is no better place in America than Tennessee and the SEC."
Clausen also thinks Kiffin will change the perception of Tennessee football.
"Look, don't get me wrong, Coach (Phillip) Fulmer was my coach and will always be my coach. But, if Kiffin does at Tennessee what they do at USC, he will open up practices and invite the public to come watch. Pete Carroll did that at USC and what it's done is build a real fire inside kids to be a part of that program. Over the years it builds the passion for kids beyond what it already is.
"Practices will be intense. Those guys at UT don't know what they're in for. From the moment they step on the field it will be non-stop intensity. Kiffin will want practice to be an event.
"Any time you get new, young coaches in a program, they bring a new level of excitement. UT will get kids like Bryce Brown and other top recruits. They are big-time recruiters . . . I mean big-time. It won't be long before Tennessee is back. I may be way over here on the West Coast, but I'm jacked about what's going on in Knoxville."
And, with the recruitment of the top quarterbacks he has, Clausen will be right in the middle of the rebuilding job at Tennessee whether he likes it or not.
