Gutierrez was a standout quarterback at De La Salle Catholic High School (2002), where he lettered three times. College Football News rated him the 41st-best recruit by in the nation and he was also USA Today's "Player to Watch for California" in 2002. Tom Lemming listed Gutierrez as the 26th-best overall player, the ninth-ranked quarterback and the fifth-best player in the West. He earned All-FarWest honors from SuperPrep magazine and was ranked as the fifth-best pro-style quarterback and given a four-star rating by Rivals100.com. He was also selected as Max Emfinger's 12th-best drop-back passing quarterback in the nation.
In three seasons as a starter, Gutierrez never lost a game.
Highly recruited by most major colleges, Gutierrez decided to enroll at the University of Michigan...