Well, it's a done deal.

There was little suspense to begin with but Jimmy Clausen made it official at a press conference early in December.

His stay in South Bend is finis. He's vacating the Golden Dome. Clausen will never again don a Notre Dame uniform. Number 7 is moving on.

Deciding to fore-go his final college season was all but expected. Almost every reputed draft expert claimed Clausen would've been the consummate fool had he not made himself available for the upcoming NFL draft.

Projections from those in the know have Clausen being a surefire top ten 10 selection come April. Many have him rated as the best quarterback prospect eligible to turn pro.

And with the strong likelihood that a rookie salary cap will be implemented in 2011, Clausen probably would've left a lot of Benjamins on the table if he had elected to return to school.

Arguably, Clausen's value might never be higher than it is now. One can hardly blame him for striking while the iron is hot.

Also, the cautionary tale of Oklahoma's Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford may have influenced Clausen's thinking. It was a given that Bradford would have been an ultra high pick and made boat loads of cash had he left the Sooners in 2009.

Yet, because Bradford was driven by the quest for a national championship, he opted to return. Alas, things didn't work out as planned. Instead of further college glory, Bradford wound up getting hurt and had a truncated senior season. Though still highly regarded, Bradford's stock might fall because of the uncertainty surrounding his injured shoulder.

So prevailing opinion suggested Clausen not take the same course of action as unlucky Sam. The risk simply wasn't worth it.

Thus, when it gets right down to the nub, Clausen's coming out amounts to pure self interest and a money grab. You can spin it any way you want but it basically came down to a matter of cold, hard cash. It's dollars and cents, pure and simple. And let's not pretend otherwise.

Now, nary a soul should begrudge Clausen for opting for the big payday. By virtue of his superb play this past season, Jimmy made himself into a hot commodity. So if he wants to capitalize on his very strong bargaining position, who can blame him? Clausen has every right to take the money and run. Mega bucks can be awfully irresistible to a young man.

But before he took that final step and walked out the door, Clausen should have seriously weighed a few compelling reasons why he could have quarterbacked the Irish for one more go around.

Believe it or not, Clausen had strong justifications for staying on-board with the Irish. It is hoped that he wasn't so blinded by the glitz of the NFL that he didn't thoughtfully consider the alternative. Remaining at Notre Dame wasn't without some legitimate selling points.

Let's start with legacy which doesn't appear to have meant much to Clausen. To him, it might have been completely immaterial. But the truth is that to be considered an all-time Irish great, a quarterback must have guided his team to some semblance of achievement. Clausen simply didn't do that. Can Jimmy really be satisfied leaving the Dome having never played on even a good team?

Clausen came to South Bend with high expectations, many of which were tied to team success. Can he really find contentment in vacating the ND scene with such a dismal record as a starter ( 16-18 )? The only possible way he could have earned status as an Irish icon was to have come back and been the spearhead of a Irish revival under new coach Brian Kelly.

Secondly, the chance that Clausen will see any significant playing time as a pro in 2010 is unlikely, if not remote. It figures he won't be doing much of anything next season except wearing a ball cap, holding a clipboard and perhaps signaling in plays.

At this stage in his development, why would the California flash want to do nothing more than be a glorified spectator? Wouldn't it be far more stimulating trying to lead the Irish back to glory rather than occupying a place on some NFL bench?

Thirdly, there should have been the consideration of loyalty to his school. To some that may seem an antiquated notion but not to this writer.

Yes, Clausen decided to look out for number one. That's understandable. So be it. No one will fault him. But think of the cache he would've built up had he elected to return and help the Irish smoothly transition to a new regime. He would've earned universal respect and admiration from the Irish Nation.

Finally, there's the money question. Does it really matter that much to Clausen? Does Jimmy worship at the altar of the all-mighty dollar? To a great extent, maybe he does.

Had Clausen chosen to remain a Domer, he could have easily secured an insurance policy to protect him against catastrophic injury. Moreover, if a rookie pay-scale is indeed enacted in 2011, that doesn't mean serious wouldn't have been there for the taking. It would have just become a matter of degree and whether Clausen could make do on, say, 20 million as opposed to 30 or 35 mil. It simply boils down to how much is enough and whether Clausen was willing to wait a while longer to get it.

It was no shock when Clausen decided to bolt. With Charlie Weis's departure and the allure of pro ball beckoning him, Jimmy was seduced by the siren's call. Notre Dame just didn't hold enough cards to lure him back.

So best of luck Jimmy and thanks for the memories.

But before he said that final goodbye, it wouldn't have hurt Clausen to give the Irish one last look. Regardless of what the wise guys say, cash ain't everything. And staying at Notre Dame would hardly have been foolish.

There would have been much to be gained by continuing to wear that glistening gold helmet. Only the payoff wouldn't have come in the form of money. It would've been found in other ways every bit as valuable.

Too bad Clausen will never know what they might have been.