This is a very dark day IMO. I've always thought he gave us a better chance of winning than Zaire. I thought the combo with Golson starting was the answer. Now we have a run first QB who is one hit away from "Kiser time". Can't blame him a bit...think the staff blew it...big time. I don't give a fvck where he goes...I follow ND football.
I was looking forward to a Golson-Zaire combo in 2015, but I'm not pessimistic regarding a 2015 season without Golson.
Golson was an exciting quarterback, but he could never get over the hump at Notre Dame. He seemed to never fully grasp what Brian Kelly wanted out of him in regards to reading the defense. His athleticism and lack of competition won him the starting job in 2012, but our 12-1 season was more the result of opportune defense than Golson's leadership. Rees rescued him a couple of times during that season, as well. Golson's 2013 season was a washout due to his own academic issues. And in 2014, he quarterbacked us to a 7-5 season with several of the losses a direct result of his turnovers. The bowl win against LSU should rightfully be credited to Zaire.
With Golson it has always been about his potential to be great. The first half of the 2014 season, he seemed to be finally producing up to everyone's expectations and then the bottom fell out with turnover after turnover. A return of Golson in 2015 would have left us once again hoping for him to finally put things together over a full season. Even he realized that he had not shown enough to-date to earn a spot in the NFL draft. His stock with NFL scouts dropped dramatically as the 2014 season wore on.
Perhaps, Golson will find the right spot where he can showcase his skills minus the fumbles and interceptions. He is an exciting player when he is not turning the ball over. As for myself, I was ready to move on to Zaire well before Brian Kelly opened up the quarterback competition prior to last year's bowl game. Zaire hasn't proven he is capable of leading the team over the course of a full season, but if we are going to rely upon a quarterback's potential I would rather place my hope in Zaire. I waited through 3 seasons for Golson to live up to his potential. It just never happened on a consistent, season long basis. I'm ready to support Zaire as the quarterback of the future. And I'm ready to wish Everett Golson the best wherever he ends up. Hopefully, he can put together a full season of consistent leadership. Even in his worst moments on the field, Everett never gave up the fight.