Say this for private quarterback coach Steve Clarkson, he knows how to make a media spectacle. And in 13-year-old Delaware quarterback David Sills and USC head coach Lane Kiffin -- two people obviously not shying away from the media spotlight -- he’s found two perfect star vehicles.
Sills, the 13-year-old junior high student that was verbally offered a scholarship by Lane Kiffin, then paraded around the national news circuit, is in Pasadena this weekend, as Clarkson’s “Dreammaker Tour” kicks off its 15-city tour, alleged on the look out for the seven best young quarterbacks in the country to participate in Clarkson’s Super 7 Maui retreat. Sills isn’t in town to actually, well -- you know, tryout for the camp, he’s merely there as another pawn in Clarkson’s image game.
That game has turned into something bordering on ridiculous, with Clarkson taking marketing to the next level with his self-annointed “Dreammaker” title. For a look at that ego in all its glory, go no farther than www.SteveClarksonDreammaker.com for your chance to see Clarkson’s self-importance at its best.
I’ve never met Clarkson, and I certainly can’t question some of the quarterbacks he’s worked with, but everything about this latest enterprise is so very clearly centered around himself, and not the young quarterbacks he’s allegedly set out to help. I understand branding, and the need to market your services, but after looking at the video on his homepage, its very clear this guy has a sense of self-importance that makes Urban Meyer look like he eats humble pie seven nights a week for dessert.