Notre Dame was headed towards a very intriguing quarterback competition this offseason and that was before this afternoon’s news that Myrtle Beach’s Everett Golson has committed to the Irish and plans on enrolling early in a couple months.
This sets up what should be an epic quarterback battle like the Irish have not seen in years.
First, give Brian Kelly a lot of credit for pulling in Golson and adding to the reserves at the all-important quarterback position.
At this time last year as Brian Kelly was about to accept the Notre Dame job, the quarterback position looked frightfully thin, but now thanks to Crist and Rees’ experience this year, plus the commitment of Golson, the team will now have five talented quarterbacks on scholarship.
But with so many bodies, how will this all play out?
There were some tiny rumors that Dayne Crist might transfer…does that happen now as he sits back and rehabs while four other quarterbacks try to pass him on the depth chart?
Tommy Rees has come in and played admirably for a true freshmen and will get one more start in Notre Dame’s bowl game. Despite being 3-0 in November, will Rees ever start again for the Irish?
And what about Andrew Hendrix? He was redshirted this year, but has drawn a ton of praise from Brian Kelly and the coaching staff, while seeming to have the most upside out of all the quarterbacks on campus via a strong arm, size and athleticism.
With four years left is Hendrix a prime candidate to leave South Bend and get a fresh start elsewhere?
Can we at least assume that someone is going to transfer?
Also, we can’t discount Luke Massa who will still be in the mix and had a very successful high school career in Ohio.
Adding to the intrigue of the situation is that Golson will be enrolling early and by all accounts, will also try to play basketball as well.
The thought only a couple months ago was that Brian Kelly was not going to go after a quarterback in this class, so the commitment of Golson probably means that the coaching staff really likes him and either expects big things out of him in the future or possibly has promised a chance to battle and play in 2011.
Also adding to the interest is that Golson is a dual-threat quarterback and someone who is nearly a perfect fit for the Kelly spread offense.
If he wasn’t as athletic it would probably be a sure thing that he would spend all of 2011 on scout team and learning the ropes, but will that be the case?
Is Golson going to redshirt like Hendrix did or will we be seeing the talented North Carolina prospect on the field next season?
Buckle up for a wild offseason!