Why Everett Golson will stay at Notre Dame
Everett Golson will stay at Notre Dame…here is why.
The Everett Golson transfer from Notre Dame rumors spin out every day. But would Notre Dame be better off if Golson was to leave?
After all, that would give Malik Zaire complete control of the quarterback position. Zaire´s superb performance in the Music City Bowl has Irish fans bursting with optimism. Imagine if Zaire had played the entire 2014 season, his 2015 stock would be soaring.
And imagine where Notre Dame´s fortunes would have taken them in 2014, had they not endured Golson´s turnovers. What if Notre Dame had not found themselves down by three touchdowns early to Alabama in the National Championship Game, largely due to Golson mistakes?
But there are a number of reasons why Golson will stay at Notre Dame. First, he is not a quitter. Remember, he could have flown the coop during his academic suspension. But he didn´t. Instead, he spent a year improving his skills.
Upon Golson´s return, Brian Kelly had high expectations. “I think there is still room for growth there in that position, but consistency, decisiveness, those are good words to use with the quarterback’s growth,” Kelly said according Bleacher Report. “I think I’ve seen that. As a leader I think could probably use the same thing relative to consistency. He’s consistently been that vocal leader on the offensive side of the ball.”
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And for the opening few games of 2014, everything seemed to come together. He was passing as well as any quarterback in the country. He was playing free and loose, letting the game come to him and relying on his wonderful athletic ability. When he rolled to his left and spied tight end Ben Koyack in the end zone to beat Standford he was an instant Heisman candidate.
It all seemed like a jubilant culmination of his original decision to come to Notre Dame. He had so much to consider at the time, including the possibility of playing college basketball. “It definitely was difficult,” Golson said according to Bleacher Report. “For me I kind of had to struggle with my first love being basketball and going and focusing on football and things like that. It was definitely hard for me, going away from home, all those types of things, you think about.” So as the Irish steamed up the polls,it finally seemed all worth it.
Then reports circulated that Irish coaches had him concentrating even more heavily on his mechanics and footwork. The turnovers mounted. He abandoned his freestyle and started to over think everything. Still, he pulled it all together again with a miraculous performance against Florida State, when he outplayed Jameis Winston. Some reports even had him coming out early. Then, the bottom fell out in the second half of the season for Notre Dame, and Golson´s mistakes were a big part of that, leaving him to get back on his feet once more.
And Golson will also stay at Notre Dame because he is a competitor. Even if Zaire wins the starting job in the Spring, to leave would be to admit defeat. That is not in Golson´s DNA. He is not about to concede the battle. He won´t start a pattern of running from challenges. He has never done that, and he never will. Especially when he knows that he would still only be one play away from a chance to prove his doubters wrong.
And Golson will stay at Notre Dame because he believes in himself. He came to win a National Championship. He knows that he has the talent to lead the Irish to it. But he has heard the criticism that he can´t take care of the football and he can´t read defenses. He knows he can do both, with more discipline and focus.
And he will stay at Notre Dame because he knows learning a new system on the fly is a lot more difficult than touching up the rough edges of a familiar one. He has chemistry with his receivers. The addition of highly touted freshman tight end Alize Jones gives him a big, speedy target to bail him out in scramble situations. Plus, the Notre Dame offensive line finally came together in the bowl game. And if SEC defenses are truly as formidable as advertised, that makes the transition to a school like LSU treacherous.
No, leaving Notre Dame would not be in Golson´s best interest. And he knows it. But, Irish fans also know that Zaire is ready, with only playing time standing in his way from reaching star status. So the question is, would Notre Dame be better off without Golson?