It was once said the highest pressure position in all of college football was playing quarterback at Notre Dame.  Sure, when Beano Cook puts the pressure on you to win multiple Heisman’s and national championships, it’s nearly impossible to dispute the claim.

Times have changed a bit in recent decades and although the pressure on Notre Dame quarterbacks might not be the same as it was during the peak of the Lou Holtz era for ron powlus, but pressure comes with playing for the Irish still, no doubt.

Quarterback has also been perhaps the biggest difference between the elites and Notre Dame in recent years in the sense that the elites have an elite signal caller while the Irish put out good but far from elite players at the position recently.

If we look back since the year 2000 there have been some fantastic quarterbacks to wear blue and gold.  Which of those came in with the biggest hype in terms of recruiting rankings?  And which ones soared beyond the little hype the may have been surrounded by?

And which didn’t even play quarterback in college?

Here are the top 25 Notre Dame quarterback recruits since 2000 according to the 247Sports composite ranking system.

Evan Sharpley

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

[autotag]Evan Sharpley[/autotag]
2005 recruiting class
3* prospect
.8556 rating

Luke Massa

ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, SEPT. 29-30 – FILE – In this Sept. 8, 2012, file photo, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly watches as quarterback Charlie Fiessinger (17) and wide receiver Luke Massa (14) signal in a play during an NCAA college football game against Purdue in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Luke Massa
2010 recruiting class
3* prospect
.8576 rating

Christian Olsen

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Christian Olsen
2002 recruiting class
3* prospect
.8667 rating

Ian Book

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

[autotag]Ian Book[/autotag]
2016 recruiting class
3* prospect
.8681 rating

Tommy Rees

SBT Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN via FTP

[autotag]Tommy Rees[/autotag]
2010 recruiting class
3* prospect
.8795 rating

Brendon Clark

(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

[autotag]Brendon Clark[/autotag]
2019 recruiting class
3* prospect
.8796 rating

Everett Golson

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Everett Golson[/autotag]
2011 recruiting class
4* prospect
.8937 rating

Steve Angeli

USA TODAY SPORTS

[autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag]
2022 recruiting class
4* prospect
.8962 rating

Andrew Hendrix

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Andrew Hendrix[/autotag]
2010 recruiting class
4* prospect
.8999 rating

DeShone Kizer

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]DeShone Kizer[/autotag]
2014 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9073 rating

Avery Davis

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Avery Davis[/autotag]
2017 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9078 rating

Drew Pyne

Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag]
2020 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9164 rating

Malik Zaire

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Malik Zaire[/autotag]
2013 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9300 rating

Kenny Minchey

[autotag]Kenny Minchey[/autotag]
2023 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9323 rating

Tom Zbikowski

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

[autotag]Tom Zbikowski[/autotag]
2003 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9331 rating

Zach Frazer

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Zach Frazer[/autotag]
2006 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9406 rating

Brady Quinn

Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © Paul Abell

[autotag]Brady Quinn[/autotag]
2003 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9422 rating

Phil Jurkovec

Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Phil Jurkovec[/autotag]
2018 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9593 rating

Tyler Buchner

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

[autotag]Tyler Buchner[/autotag]
2021 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9684 rating

C.J. Carr

CJ Carr – photo by Michael Chen

[autotag]C.J. Carr[/autotag]
2024 recruiting class (verbal commitment)
4* prospect
.9761 rating

Demetrius Jones (T-4)

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Demetrius Jones
2006 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9792 rating

Brandon Wimbush (T-4)

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

[autotag]Brandon Wimbush[/autotag]
2015 recruiting class
4* prospect
.9792 rating

Gunner Kiel

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Gunner Kiel[/autotag]
2012 recruiting class
5* prospect
.9878 rating

Dayne Crist

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Dayne Crist[/autotag]
2008 recruiting class
5* prospect
.9886 rating

Jimmy Clausen

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

[autotag]Jimmy Clausen[/autotag]
2007 recruiting class
5* prospect
.9988 rating

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire