Last season, as a redshirt freshman Everett Golson led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on an undefeated run in the regular season, and finished with the #1 ranking before losing to Alabama in the BCS Championship. Golson was considered a near lock to start the 2013 campaign under center for the Irish, and his hold on the position was so great that 2012 star recruit Gunner Kiel decided to leave Notre Dame for Cincinatti and a chance to get some playing time.
In a shocking announcement Saturday night, that all changed.
University spokesman Dennis Brown has confirmed that Everett Golson is no longer enrolled in the University of Notre Dame. There have been no official reasons given as to the reason for this sudden and drastic turn of events due to privacy laws.
The move leaves the Irish offence in a state of shock. Head Coach Brian Kelly is now scrambling to find a starting quarterback. Last season’s backup, Tommy Rees, is a senior and returning to Notre Dame and it is expected that he has the inside track to be the new starting quarterback. However, there is a chance that the position could be taken by fellow senior Andrew Hendrix. Freshman recruit Malik Zaire is the third quarterback on the depth chart.
Rees was the Irish starter in 2011. After a promising freshman season in 2010, issues with ball security derailed Rees’ sophomore campaign and eventually led to Golson getting the job in 2012. Rees was impressive as a backup, and did contribute some key plays and drives in relief of Golson last year. Still the Irish were Golson’s team. Rees is more of a traditional pocket passer, while Golson featured some strong athletic ability, and the dual threat of also being able to run with the football. Hendricks is more athletic, and may be a threat to Rees, as he features some of the ability to run with the football that made Golson so dangerous.
This situation is still unfolding, and it is possible that Golson could be back in school by the fall. However, given the dramatic nature of the events today, this seems unlikely. What we do know today is that the Irish offence has been put into a state of turmoil, and we are still several months from the start of the college football season. I’m sure that this isn’t the news that Kelly wished to receive today.
Update: Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune wrote on Twitter that “an academic violation [is] behind the QB no longer being enrolled at #NotreDame, per sources.”
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