I think quitter is a fair statement. Golson was in a unique position in comparison to other players that left for their 5th years. Most other players never saw the field in a starting capacity and were simply trying to enjoy their last year with that transfer opportunity. There are a few exceptions, like Hegarty, who let the coaches know in March they were leaving for their 5th year. Golson, on the other hand, went through Spring practice with many sideline reporters saying he looked to still have an edge on Zaire, and then decided to transfer without notifying the staff. That took a lot of possible reps away from both Zaire and Kizer. The staff was eventually notified by players that Everett was leaving instead of by Golson himself. Would he have started in 2015? Maybe yes, maybe no. It's moot now, and quite frankly we were better off with him transferring. It probably would have made the transition of Zaire's injury easier had Golson stayed, but we also got to see Kizer rise to the occasion and show what kind of player he can be. There's no doubt that Golson would have at least seen the field in some capacity in 2015, if not regaining his starter status. He chose to ultimately bail because he thought he could do better at Florida State. Instead of being in the Heisman discussion, he was a mere footnote in the offense (Despite having less turnovers due to the offense running mostly through Dalvin Cook) and was eventually benched again.
I think our QB position group as a whole has benefited with Golson's departure as well. Coaches have pointed out how much more close knit the group is now than they were a few seasons ago. The quarterbacks are competitive, but are friendly and support each other. You could see in some of the HBO shows where Zaire was behind Kizer. He helped coach him up and was rooting for him. You didn't see that from Golson when he was benched. Sure, maybe he's not going to be rooting for Zaire in that circumstance, but he could have at least helped motivate the team and been a part of the game. Instead he sat on the bench in solitary, disconnected from everyone. I think the team bond is far stronger today, they see each other as brothers. They fight for each other and hold each other responsible. We need that kind of leadership, especially at the QB position.
