Senior quarterback Everett Golson has had an unorthodox career trajectory at Notre Dame. Originally a North Carolina verbal commitment, Golson flipped his pledge to Notre Dame and enrolled early after an academic scandal began to unfold in Chapel Hill under the leadership of then-head coach Butch Davis. After leading Notre Dame to a national championship appearance in the Fighting Irish’s first undefeated regular season in decades, Golson would become embroiled in his own academic scandal which would ultimately force him off the team. The Myrtle Beach (S.C.) native avoided the path of least resistance and re-enrolled rather than transfer to another program, only to lead Notre Dame to a turnover plagued season that ended with talented backup quarterback Malik Zaire starting and earning MVP honors against LSU in the Music City Bowl.
Despite Everett Golson being widely reported as in the lead in this spring’s quarterback competition against Malik Zaire, rumors have continued to persist that Golson is a transfer risk, causing apprehension amongst Irish fans. And Irish fans should be concerned – there are more reasons for Golson to leave than stay.
Golson used his time away from Notre Dame in the most productive way possible by working with quarterback guru George Whitfield on his mechanics and the way he grips a football. What was most telling about his experience with Whitfield, however, was when Golson was asked how he was paying for such tutelage.
“At this point, I don’t know if it’s politically correct to say it like this, but it’s a business decision for me,” Golson said to sportswriter Bruce Feldman. “I’m hoping that it’ll pay off in the future.”
Like nearly every college athlete that straps on a helmet on Saturdays during the fall, Golson’s dream is to play in the NFL, and he believed in that dream enough to imply he paid a quarterback coach thousands of dollars out-of-pocket in order to invest in that dream. And submitting to a quarterback competition when you only have one last chance to impress NFL scouts isn’t exactly the best way to protect an investment.
Throwing 14 interceptions and fumbling the football 12 times throughout the 2014 season afforded Malik Zaire an opportunity to prove himself after two years of waiting, and Zaire made the absolute most of it, showcasing to the staff and fan base he possesses an impressive skill set. Golson may currently lead his head-to-head showdown with Zaire but for how long? Will Kelly pull Golson when he creates a turnover? How about after two, or possibly three? Or simply run a two quarterback system? While it is likely a conversation involving such scenarios will take place between Golson and Kelly, why should Golson stay and gamble with his future when the option to leave for a less crowded location and play immediately is available?
Initial rumors connected Golson to LSU, a destination that makes sense given the inconsistent quarterback play in Baton Rouge. Soon-to-be junior Anthony Jennings was completing less than 50-percent of his passing attempts and averaging only 165 yards passing per contest last season. Rising sophomore Brandon Harris – though a talented former 4-star recruit – only mustered a 21-percent completion rate for 58 yards in LSU’s defeat at the hands of Auburn this past fall. With likely Heisman frontrunner Leonard Fournette – who averaged over 13 yards per carry against Notre Dame – at running back and a young but talented defense, quarterback is the missing piece for a truly special season at LSU, and Golson could step in and make an immediate impact with little to no competition.
Some may argue that switching programs during the summer is too short a time span to learn a new offense and grow accustomed to a new team, but it wouldn’t be the first time a quarterback felt the pinch and transferred to another institution for one season. Star NFL quarterback Russell Wilson recently told the media he was forced out of N.C. State by then-coach Tom O’Brien when Wilson indicated his desire to play minor league baseball for the Colorado Rockies during the summer rather than focus completely on football. Wilson utilized the graduate transfer rule to immediately enroll at Wisconsin and ultimately captured a Big Ten Championship, exposure that helped propel Wilson to a successful NFL career.
Others have argued Golson has unfinished business at Notre Dame which will cause him to stay, but such points have no merit. While the senior quarterback may have fallen short of a national championship, should Golson decide to leave, he will do so in an accomplished manner. For all the bumps along the way Golson will have played a pivotal role in turning Notre Dame’s program around on the football field, and he would leave Notre Dame as a graduate, a major accomplishment considering the obstacles that had to be overcome.
Whether or not Golson will stay or go remains to be seen. But given the current state of the program, leaving Notre Dame may be yet another “business decision” Golson has to make.
Scott Janssen is a blogger for the Huffington Post and has authored several nationally-featured articles, including an appearance on MSNBC as a sports contributor. He talks football 24 hours a day, much to the chagrin of his wife and those around him. Scott can be reached at scottjanssenhp@gmail.com or follow him on twitter.
We as fans only see what is in front of us; we cannot see what goes on behind the scenes. It is therefore, very difficult to overlay our visual perception onto the unknown of relationships and team chemistry. In all the interviews with players I have rarely heard a player speak of undying loyalties to BK himself. Many times we have heard this loyalty to various assistants, and most importantly of ND herself.
I have not been, and am not now a believer in BK. He is an 8-5 guy, with possibilities of 6-7, or even more rarely 10-3. I don’t feel the true sincerity and obvious love for the ND family and student-athletes. He is more distant and cold.
He has had (6) six recruiting cycles to find his type of QB. What IS his offense? What IS his type of QB? And on defense; 6 cycles should have brought a more dominant group than we have seen. You count the transfers, and assistant coaching defections, it does not add to long term stability and growth.
Golson leaving is going to be tough to cover as he IS a superior passer to Zaire. but Golson’s immaturity and turnovers will not be missed. Like I’ve said on a previous post: to bad Zaire doesn’t have an inner Hanratty so we could have three great years coming.
Ron
The reason I am glad he left is it leaves little uncertainty about the quarterback position. Golson seems to have a problem with the pressure of having to compete for his job. Or maybe he realized in the spring that Zaire had improved so much that he wouldn’t win the competition.
Here’s the facts Golson is a cheater, he got caught and while it’s good to forgive, most people would never forget that he is a documented cheater and hence in many people’s eyes, untrustworthy. His cheating let his teamates down having to sit out a season when ND was expected to be right back in the thick of things.
As for the NC season ND would never have made it to the NC without Rees pulling him out of the fire several times. So to say he led the Irish to an undefeated season is really not true.
I contend that if you are truly a Golson fan, you should also be happy to see him go. It’s his choice, he made it and presumably for his own happiness and his own future. Why aren’t you happy for him rather than sad?
Jack, I understand your concern about EG’s turnovers in year 3. You bring up Tommy Rees. He wasn’t called Tommy Turnover for nothing and that was for all 4 years. As frustrating as EG’s turnovers were, TR’s “Chuck and Duck” interceptions were also. If you want to come down harder on EG because he had more ability, that’s fine. But he wasn’t the only experienced QB committing turnovers that left fans shaking their heads.
I’m sad to see EG go but I understand why. I wish him all the best.
Michael,
I wish EG the best in whatever he does and I agree that playing for BK can be tough and demanding, but EG also needs to look in the mirror. I as a coach would be extremely annoyed if I had been harping on ball security since he came to campus and he still was fumbling in year 3. Remember in 2012 when everyone was clamoring for him to run and BK said he had ball security issues. Also, the interceptions that he threw were unacceptable and at times could have been avoided. With Tommy Rees he saw the play, but didn’t have the arm to make it, EG didn’t see the play.
I think the relationship between EG and BK was strained from beginning and EG didn’t fit BK’s style of in your face when you screwed up. I also believe that BK should look in the mirror and adjust his style with his QB’s and realize that maybe the simple offense is the best offense. He doesn’t have Peyton Manning or Tom Brady back there to audible into the right play. He doesn’t have Tommy Rees who could also make the right call.
I am looking forward to the zone read being run properly and more running than passing this year. We will see, but to say I am glad EG left, I am not. To say I didn’t see the flaws in his game and leadership, would be a lie and finally to say that BK didn’t mismanage him would also be a lie.
Fortunately, Golson doesn’t need the support of anyone on this thread- which is a good thing because there isn’t much of it being offered. Still the November losses are hung around EGs neck like an albatross, as if the collapse of the defense and kicking game last November played no part in the end-of-the-year losses. Please – for those of you who focus on only his negative stats, go look in the mirror, then
stick- once and for all- the 22 turnover mantra where the sun don’t shine.
Maybe Golson would rather play for a different coach? When he returned, I recall he said it was great to be back with his teammates, and that he returned to prove he could graduate from ND despite others (several on this thread as well ) who’d prefer to focus on that poor academic decision.
Don’t ever recall him celebrating being reunited with BK. As a graduate, he can look elsewhere.
We all know that few QBs would be getting a quicker hook than EG even if he did start vs.Texas.
Maybe playing under that inevitability made the decision for him easier.
His Spring silence and his demeanor suggested as BB.King sang, “The Thrill Is Gone”, and that isn’t a matter of blame on anyone as it is dealing with a current reality for him and his planning for his last collegiate season.
I wish him the best. He returned, got his degree like he said he would. Maybe, just maybe, his relationship (or absence of one) with Kelly was the deciding factor on his leaving.
To expect those around you to not overrract to misfortune and setbacks, one needs to model not overreacting to misfortune and setbacks, and that remains one of Kelly’s most obvious flaws to me.
Maybe Alford and Cooks better understand why EG chose to leave.
Best wishes EG.
Good luck, Zaire.
Many out there await to condemn and focus on your shortcomings – coming soon to a stadium you will compete in- and most of them will call themselves your team’s “Fans!”
I think Kelly needs to look at how,he calls plays. Everytime he decides to give more info of the playboy the QB play suffers. Keep it simple like the LSU game or the play book in 2012 and watch the offense flourish. Let’s not have all these checks to get into the right play that gains 2 yds or turns the ball over
I would give the kid a break for leaving though, if it turns out he wasn’t able to get into any ND graduate programs.
Wow Ron, I have to say it’s almost refreshing to read you so unicorns and rainbows…
Golson has a degree from ND; after being very publicly suspended for cheating, and costing his team their starting QB for a full season. He then hired Whitfield for an obviously exorbitant fee in the hopes that his tutelage would elevate him to a level of college excellence and future nfl prospect, only to display little improvement upon his weaknesses, and be replaced, and beaten out, by a young QB with no meaningful game time experience.
A national championship game..? Yes, a game that his head coach publicly stated “he road the bus to.”
His decision making ability off the field has proven better than on, which is to say; poor at best.
Endless string of poor decisions?? He’s a graduate of Notre Dame and was the starting QB of a team that played for a NC. We should all be such poor decision makers.
Just another in a seemingly endless string of poor decisions by Golson. The likelihood that he’ll end up at a school where he can walk on and have a season that impresses nfl scouts enough to be drafted, enough to erase all the glaring weaknesses exposed at ND, the jumping ship in the face of younger competition…next to nothing.
While I don’t agree with Mike on this one, that Golson is better gone, than the back up. I am willing to bid good riddance. ND did far better by Golson, than he did by ND.
It’s also worth noting that his leaving may say something about the incoming competition as well. With a new OC, a notoriously complex one, and better suited qb’s clawing at his remaining year, maybe Golson felt that leaving was his only option?
Shaz the difference between Leak, Tebow and Golson and Zaire is that Leak was locked under scholarship and out of eligibility and Tebow was freshman. Golson graduated which gave him options and Leak was out of options so it was play for Florida or try the NFL.
You look at a coach like Urban Meyer when he was at Florida and
had 2 gifted QB’s.
One was a senor (Chris Leak) who moved the team down the field.
The other was an under classmen (Tim Tebow) who came in inside the red zone.
One got the brunt, the other got the glory.
.
Meyer was somehow able to sell that deal to his senor QB , and the end result was a National Championship.
There’s a lesson in there for coaches everywhere…. including ND’s Brian Kelly.
Mr. T
We all get it that you dislike Golson and love Zaire but Golson leaving is not a positive development for ND. Not sure why you are happy that he is leaving. As much as Zaire will run it is likely he may miss a series or two and possibly a game. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some experience backing him up? Instead, now ND is one torn ACL away from a .500 season. When Kiel left, many on here said good riddance he doesn’t want to compete. A few weeks later Golson is suspended and there are no QBs left other than Rees. I get why the kid left but am sad to see him go.
Mike & Mike in the morning…
Yes, we know Golson…. and Golson knows our offense, philosophy, signals, and playbook.
I’m guessing he’d be pretty pumped to play us.
I know I wouldn’t bet against him.
As it is graduation time for high school senors as well, Wallace probably didn’t make the grades needed
to satisfy Admissions.
Well, between EG transferring and Bo Wallace’s decision not to come to ND, they’re that much closer to getting to 85. If Ishaq can’t/won’t get himself eligible and Hounshell is not granted a 5th year, I think that would get them to 85.
Shaz
If EG were to end up at Texas or any other school on the schedule I would think the Irish have an advantage. Teams spend a great deal of time trying to mask certain player’s weaknesses. The QB position in particular. I’m sure the coaching staff is aware of those weaknesses they can exploit like no other team could.
While I myself am happy Golson left and we’ve now got a more stable situation at QB, I can only wonder hw NFL scouts will look at this move. To many I believe will look at this as a QB that fced a challenge to compete and I mean really compete and rather than compete he went elsewhere perhaps someplace where he wouldn’t be pressured to compete. It depends where he ends up before that kind of talk will start but I’m sure it won’t go unnoticed.
I take exception to those who say Golson lead ND to an undefeated season. Rees saved him several times that season.
Shazamrock – Because EG’s graduated, he no longer is under scholarship with ND. He’s free to go wherever he wants.
I know that ND has a long standing policy of restricting transfers (who still have scholarship eligibility) from going to schools
whom the Irish have on their schedule, but I’m not sure if that applies to graduate student athletes as well.
I have heard that Texas was one of the programs that could be a destination for Everett Golson.
Contemplating that, I’m immediately struck with two possible scenarios…. First is he comes back to ND Stadium with the longhorns on
Sept. 5th ( opening day) and fumbles twice and throws a couple of picks….
OR….
He goes 30 for 35 for 400 yards with 3 TD’s passing and another one rushing.
Personally, I hope it’s a third scenario where he goes somewhere where our paths never meet.
Golson = good riddance. Now we have some certainty
What did you expect from golson? Kelly taught him everything he knew. After a great season Kelly betrays the team with his interest in the eagles. Golson cheats and destroys the team’s next year. Who would believe Kelly? Recruits walk. They don’t know if he will stay or take a better offer. Kelly taught golson the betrayal he completed when he decided to leave.
Incoming freshman Bo Wallace announces that he will not be attending ND now. Lets hope this is the end of the bad news for the rest of the season.
http://collegespun.com/independents/notre-dame/2015-olb-bo-wallace-announces-he-wont-be-attending-notre-dame
Knew he was leaving. Really dumb.
God help us!! We are going to need it now that Golson is gone. And I was so looking forward to this year.
Yeah, who cares!
He gone.
Told ya he was transferring
todays clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVjTlVcB1AQ
Keeping it classy Mr. Burgundy. I obviously meant Koyak. Point is still valid, he could have passed to you and it would have help hold the linebackers.
Beatha
Sliding does not mean you’re scared. Mariota made a lot of runs that ended with a slide.
Golson is really not a true dual threat QB. He’s a pocket passer and he uses his legs to escape pressure. It’s silly for a QB his size to think he’s going to go head to head with most linebackers and come out on top. Just look at RG3, he might be a superstar if he’d mastered the slide instead of taunting defensive backs and trying to take them on. Failure to slide has shortened his career with the injuries and now makes him less effective at even escaping.
I’ve never been a real Golson fan like some. He’s a pretty decent passer, but I’m not sure he’s ever really grasped the read option part of Kelly’s offense.
I think one of Golson’s main faults is his ball handling. At most times it’s piss poor and was the major cause of fumbles, some he put on the ground without even being hit but just moving with the ball.
Watch how Zaire carries the ball, he’s got much better ball handling skills and is the true dual threat QB of the two.
I think the Irish can win with either one as long as turnovers are under control.
I still think Golson is going to transfer after he graduates in May..No actual proof, just a gut feeling. There are plenty of teams that would probably guarantee him the starting position to transfer. Fortunately the Irish aren’t in a position where they have to do that, they are set at that position.
Dear Fountain Hills,
The reason he didn’t throw to Nicklas over the middle was because he was in the NFL.
Sincerely,
Capt. Obvious
it sounds like golson is now in the golson first place. he just wants to survive and get to the pros. the totally wrong guy for the job. he had one miraculous season, cheated, and screwed his opportunity completely when he had the chance to redeem himself. read the montana article. it says it all. malik is my man.
Tons Ron. Big Tons.
Dying to know the answer, how many times did he slide?
Even if Golson starts, he’s unlikely to last unless he can overcome his biggest hurdle, which is his fear. He fails to make his option reads because he always hands the ball off. This might make some sense if he lacked running ability, but he doesn’t. He continually flees the pocket early. He continues to rush his passes. He panics when defenses bring early signs of pressure, and misses his reads as a result.
That looks to me like a QB thats afraid of contact. It also explains why he always seems to practice well, but can’t pull it together against an aggressive opponent. Fourth quarters are good for him because the defense often spreads out and minimizes pass rush in favor of coverage.
How many times did we see him slide just short of a first down last season?
Unfortunately, opposing DC’s have his number now. They’ve exposed the weakness,and so, are going to bring constant pressure, compounding his difficulty in developing some poise and physical confidence.
http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-and-success/012901-347341-football-player-joe-montana-he-led-by-example-and-achieved-greatness.htm
A leader stays and makes it happen. No more cheating. Toe the line and get it done. Screw the nfl. Your team and your school come first. Without them you are without a soul. And fighting Irish souls are sacred
I was a frustrated as anyone with last years turnover issues but think everyone needs to put things in perspective. First, we lost two games because of poor special team play, missed field goals, which had been a strong point in prior years. Second, we were a hanky away from being 7-0 and Everett was climbing the Heisman watch. The next week we lose JS and the defense to go to hell. We lose Day and safeties and the defense, which had allowed an average of 17 points per game over the first 6 games gives up an average of 41 points per game over the last 6 games. Isn’t it possible that EG started thinking that he had to make things happen because the only way to win was to take chances and outscore the opposition? Many of his interceptions were tipped at the line of scrimmage or by his own receivers. He rarely operated from a clean pocket. The play calling did nothing to help him either. The audible play call was always a quick out. We rarely used Nickaus over the middle to hold the linebackers which allowed the opposition to dial up blitzes while rolling up perimeter coverage. The d-ends would take a two step push then stop and jump with their hands up to close passing lanes. Lastly, lets not forget that during Jimmy Clausen’s 2nd year as a starter he had 17 interceptions while passing to Rudolph, Tate, Floyd, and Grimes. EG had a year away from football so maybe his 14 INT’s wasn’t as bad as folks think. No doubt that Zaire is a talented player who offers a different skillset whoever I’m no convinced different is better.
Note to Goldon: please go.
You’ll learn soon enough Greg Mandell that facts and rationale thought have no place on this website.
Just wait till the games start and the minions go wild complaining about playing time and play calling.
Couldn’t agree more with the Whitfield opinion Duranko. After watching the footage of Winston’s work there, I considered posting myself on Craigslist as a quarterback guru as well. Not only were his mechanics sloppy, but he’s laughably out of shape.
“Talk about ‘pressure'”… (the quotes, of course, are mine) Golson can justify his “business decision” – while, more importantly to us, Notre Dame benefits – with a maturity we saw glimpses of in the Blue-Gold game. Golson absolutely must remain perfect, though, in order to justify side-lining Malik. Hopefully Golson can master the “pressure” and turn it into motivation, which would help The Irish navigate a challenging (not daunting) schedule. This “pressure” might lead to a collapse, as at the end of last year. And like the end of last year, THANK GOD we have Malik to turn-to as insurance. I believe it is reasonable to Hope for a good season.
Whitfield? I remain agnostic. His excellence has best been demonstrated as a self-promoter. The PT Barnum, if you will, of “quarterback gurus.” Perhaps he is the GOAT of quarterback developer/polishers, but the evidence is, well, sketchy. What percentage of his curriculum with Golson and the others was something as basic, say, as ball security.
Call me either archaic or delusional, but, gun to my head, I take Bob DeMoss (q.v.) over Whitfield.
As for Mike’s passion for and advocacy of Zaire, well, why not? I believe the origin of the word “fan” remains intact, and Mike, Malik and we are best served if Mike’s passion is unabated and not discounted for the skepticism of the listening audience.
Difficult yes, but his only sensible shot Ron. And, considering what he likely paid Whitfield, the airfare would seem like a drop in the bucket.
Whether Swarbrick would sign his release; or whether he could handle the pressure, I don’t know. But to think he’s going to follow in Russell Wilson’s path is a real stretch.
Golson simply refuses to protect the football. A very basic requirement in college, and a career-deciding one for the NFL.
I don’t know what Golson will do, but I’d be very confident with Zaire running the offense.
GO IRISH!
The visual facts (we don’t know what happens behind the scenes) are that through the spring, Golson is a better passer then Zaire. If Zaire was a superlative talent now, Kelly would have declared him the starter, and used most of the spring reps with him. It would only make sense to do so. Golson, despite his obvious turnover shortcomings, still remains the top choice. I truly wish Zaire had a little more Terry Hanratty in him, and could then be a three year starter to lead ND to yearly promenance. He needs more time, and Kelly knows it.
Golson (Career passing) 25 games / 443 comp / 745 attempts / 5850 yards/ 41 TD’s / 20 INT’s.
(Career Rushing) 25 games 208 attempts 581 yards 14TD’s
Zaire (Career passing) 7 games / 21 comp / 35 attempts / 266 yards / 1 TD / 0 INT.
(Career Rushing) 7 games 33 attempts 187 yards 2 TD’s.
Kizer Redshirt no stats
Wimbush incoming Freshmen no stats
If you were put yourself in Kelly’s shoes, you’ll see a team with an improving running game, the best O-Line since he’s been here, a pretty decent
Defense when they’re healthy, an excellent receiving corps, and quality depth across the board.
After Golson there isn’t much experience at QB…. after Zaire…. There is no experience.
Yes, Golson is responsible for 20 Int’s and 10 fumbles in his career…. But he is also responsible for 55 Touchdowns….. and there is no way…. With so much riding on the line… that I let him just walk away.
You may be right Ron about my objectivity.
There’s also another issue..Isn’t the team limited to how many fifth year scholarships they can offer? It’s not like they’re short of QBs already on a scholarship.
Nobody posting here has any actual knowledge or information, and that includes Mr. Jannssen. Meanwhile, those who actually cover Golson and ND , as well as his coaches, report that he’s been “all-in” this spring with the coaching staff and teammates, and that he’s very likely to be ND’s starting qb. They’ve reported they’ll be very surprised if he transfers to a new team/offense, and there is nothing here but wild speculation to suggest otherwise.
Great answer except that in order to transfer as a graduate one needs to actually graduate. Which, as I’m sure you’re aware, is incredibly difficult to do while at another school going through spring football.
Other than that, fantastic insight.
If Golson was going to leave, he’d have done so by now.
To think that Golson, who’s major obstacle at ND has been a mental one, is going to walk onto a new upper level team, and flourish enough to impress NFL scouts, is delusional. He’s had years to absorb and orchestrate the offense he’s had, and failed to make simple option reads, much less adjust to pressuring defenses. Having a good season with a beleaguered big east team isn’t going to get him anywhere paying…certainly not with the glaring weaknesses he’s shown at the top 25 level. But, coming on after a possible Zaire injury could.
The ND staff has spent enough time fostering and believing in his potential that they have every right to feel that Golson owes them. He can fight for the position, play the strong backup, and wait for his chance to shine.
His only other intelligent option would have been to start spring training at a new school. To think he’ll transfer to an LSU caliber team and excel is ridiculous.
As the President of the Zaire fan club Mike it’s hard for you to be objective on this.
I think he’s leaving. I think he quit talking to the press because he knows he’ll get questions about transferring. I think if he starts out the season sharing snaps with Zaire, his share of snaps will get smaller each game. Right now about the only advantage Golson has is a slightly stronger arm..He still seems to struggle with the run option. Twice during the spring game he threw into coverage rather than to a wide open receiver.
The next question is where would he go? He’d need a waiver for any SEC team. Clemson would love to have him, he fits the mold for their offense and Watson is injury prone
@CGar
You can disagree — that’s more than fine. I could be completely wrong about Golson transferring (and I hope that I am). But what benefits Notre Dame doesn’t necessarily benefit Everett Golson, and if he wants to play in the NFL, sharing snaps isn’t the best way to go about it (not to mention having to look over his shoulder every time he commits a turnover).
We’ll see. I would imagine we’ll have an answer one way or another by the end of June.
I love when a sentence starts off with “no disrespect.”
Anytime you can work the whereabouts of Wayne Lyons into an argument it always helps your cause. I was literally on pins and needles waiting to see where he would wind up.
Scott – No disrespect, but that’s ludicrous. Even if Zaire “gets snaps,” that doesn’t mean Golson won’t be the main guy. If Golson plays well and distinguishes himself as a starter, the fact that Kelly uses a “change of pace” QB part of the time won’t make any difference to his NFL prospects. If Golson thinks he’s the starter at ND, where he’s been for several years and just concluded a spring, it makes little sense for him to transfer and start cold with a new program in the fall. If Golson thought he’d be in a 2-QB system, equally sharing time throughout the season . . . it might be different. It might make sense to transfer to a high-profile team where he’s guaranteed a starting job. If that’s out there. You’ll be surprised if he doesn’t transfer? Okay. Come back around opening kickoff for Texas and we’ll see where it’s at. P.S. There could be new evidence even if Golson doesn’t talk about it. Everyone knew Wayne Lyons was transferring to UM before he said anything about it because circumstances strongly suggested it.
@CGar
It appears the best outcome for Golson is that he will share time with Zaire. Golson may very well win the QB job outright but no matter what happens Zaire is going to get snaps. And in a situation like that, it really benefits Golson to move on. This is his last shot to impress NFL scouts and it’s hard to do that when you’re sharing time with another quarterback. Honestly, I’d be surprised if Golson doesn’t transfer.
@George
There can’t be new evidence about Golson transferring because he isn’t speaking to the media. Though you can argue that’s telling in its own right.
I really hope Golson stays but if he doesnt want to compete at ND good by.
The title of this article led me to believe there was new evidence of EG’s transfer, but nothing in the body supported such a title. Anyway, I agree that EG having unfinished business at ND as a reason to stay has no merit. That’s just a meaningless statement in general.
Maybe in a football business decision, it’s time encourage the fire that seems to be making the smoke to maybe “go out” by leaving. At this point, I think Zaire will be the go to QB because I think he has a better overall skill set albeit EG is a better passer but NC’s are won with defense and an ability to run the ball and MZ is better adept at that part, he just needs game time ( as did EG in 2012). I won’t be complaining should EG decide to leave. I haven’t forgotten the 2013 debacle season because what occurred by EG.
Go Irish
There are not “more reasons to leave than to stay” for Golson. He is the leader in the race to start for a team he knows and has just spent a spring with. If he transfers, he goes into another program cold. Russel Wilson? Wilson’s situation was far different. He had been replaced as starter by his coach after skipping spring practice. His choice was start the season as a backup at NCSt or try somewhere else. It worked out for Wilson, but as we now know he is an exceptional talent. Golson can’t expect similar results. If Golson looked to be Zaire’s backup, it would make sense to consider a move. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. A transfer for Golson under the circumstances doesn’t make much sense.