FOOTBALL

* Standing at a podium with a Tennessee helmet and banner to his left and a Colorado helmet and banner to his right, quarterback Casey Clausen of Alemany High ended any suspense over his college choice by announcing Friday he will attend Tennessee.

Clausen, 6-fee-4 1/2 and 205 pounds, said he felt more comfortable at Tennessee, the defending national champion and a school that has a commitment from highly regarded quarterback John Rattay of Arizona.

But Clausen said he’s not afraid of the competition.

“I was looking for a challenge,” he said. “What separated [the two schools] was the atmosphere. I feel there’s nothing better than Tennessee. I just wanted to play big-time football.”

Clausen is on track to graduate early from Alemany so he can enroll at Tennessee in January and participate in spring practice.

Clausen passed for 3,213 yards and 27 touchdowns last season as a junior. He is the fourth quarterback from the region to make a commitment before his senior year.

Matt Cassel of Chatsworth has committed to USC, Zac Wasserman of Westlake to Penn State and Brandon Hance of Taft to Purdue.