Notre Dame’s Everett Golson Improved, Still Room to Grow

Oct 11, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Everett Golson (5) runs the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels defensive end Dajaun Drennon (17) defends in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 50-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

After spending all of 2013 out of football entirely and getting things right in his personal life, reinstated Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson has impressed NFL scouts, but there’s still plenty of room for growth.

At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Golson’s not exactly the prototype sized NFL quarterback. However, he’s proven this year that he can move around in the pocket and really spin the ball. He’s led the Irish to a perfect 6-0 start and is getting them right back where they were when he last left them — in the hunt for a national championship.

It’s pretty impressive to think back to Golson’s freshman year at Notre Dame and think that he only has lost one game as a starting quarterback. Be it due to the play of their dominant defense that year or whatever other circumstance you want to point to, the proof is there that Golson has had plenty to do with it as well, and he’s now starting to gain some hype as an NFL quarterback.

I think Golson should hold out for the 2016 NFL Draft with the way he’s played this year, which has been somewhat inconsistent, but you see the tools flashed that are required of an NFL quarterback, not the least of which was owning up to his mistakes, working his tail off to get back on the field for the team that gave him his first shot in the first place. There were rumors that Golson would take the easy route and transfer somewhere else to play last season, but he wisely stuck it out at Notre Dame and I’m personally very impressed by that decision. It’s a testament to his character.

Not only that, but Golson is a heck of a football player. He can really spin the ball, and I want you to take a look at this game footage from Draft Breakdown of Golson vs. the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford is a tough defense, and they prove that in this tape. Just as fair warning, you’ll see Golson take a lot of hits, get flushed out of the pocket, and make some bad decisions. You might even stop watching just to say you’ve seen enough. I’d encourage you to watch the whole thing. Keep in mind Notre Dame wins this football game.

Notre Dame goes on a long touchdown drive in the final three minutes and you’ll want to see the theatrics by Golson on that particular drive.