Notre Dame football: Top 10 quarterbacks in program history

7. Jimmy Clausen (2007-09)

Jimmy Clausen, the most recent quarterback to crack this list, captured the hearts of many Irish fans during his time at Notre Dame. However, the timing always seemed to be off during his time in South Bend, much in part to head coach Charlie Weis’ late struggles. Regardless, Clausen improved each and every year before putting up one of the most impressive seasons for a Notre Dame quarterback to date.

Clausen earned his first start as a freshman in 2007, but things went poorly out of the gate as he would finish 3-6 over the course of his nine total starts. Clausen saw substantial improvement in his sophomore season, throwing for 3,172 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. Despite Clausen’s success, the Irish would finish the season with a 7-6 record.

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Clausen would improve even further in his junior season, throwing for an exceptional 3,722 yards, 28 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. However, not even this effort would be enough for the Irish as they finished a measly 6-6. Clausen would go on to be a journeyman in the NFL, never quite reaching the potential seen in him throughout college.