Everett Golson is no longer enrolled at the University of Notre Dame. I'm sure you already heard the news by now, but by all means, please take this time to let that sink in for a moment. Come on back after you smash all your fine china against the wall and have wept in the shower and crying, "I'M SO STUPID! I'M SO STUPID! I'M SO STUPID!"
Now we can sit down and talk like adults.
There is no way to sugarcoat this, nor would I even attempt to blow some beautiful sunshine up your ass. This news is horrific in many ways. I've heard the same rumor as most of you as to "why" this is happening, but there really is no need to state it here. Obviously, it has to do with Res Life and given the proclivity of Res Life as of late with personal issues, we can assume that academics are involved.
There are many ways to look at Golson's departure and how this affects Notre Dame in 2013 and beyond.
- Notre Dame is down to 3 quarterbacks for 2013 after Gunner Kiel's transfer to Cincinnati & Golson's departure.
- Tommy Rees is most definitely the likely starter for the 2013 season.
- Notre Dame could take 2 quarterbacks in the next recruiting cycle.
- As of right now, Andrew Hendrix and Malik Zaire are the only quarterbacks returning in 2014, and Hendrix would have to be a 5th year candidate.
There is a lot more than that, but those are the main "what we know for sure" things. There could even be a chance that Golson returns in 2014, which would be similar to what Julius Jones and Darrin Walls had done in the past.
So basically, we are back to what we had in 2011 on the offensive side of the ball in terms of numbers if you took Dayne Crist out of the equation (which Brian Kelly did in the first game).
At least Tommy Rees has had plenty of experience and in many ways, he also has the trust needed to lead from both his teammates and Brian Kelly; even if he still makes a lot of Irish fans cringe.
A promising future for the quarterback position at Notre Dame is, at least temporarily, in danger- as is another top 5 season this year. "IN DANGER." Not, "OH MY GAWD WE BE COMPLETELY FUCKED!"
It's a tough pill to swallow, and it sucks to see our quarterback rainbow fade away, but if you need a reason… Because, Notre Dame. There's your reason. The program just keeps taking body blows- but it still finds a way to fight under Brian Kelly.
Putting everything else aside, Tommy Rees is the man right now. He fought and changed his legacy for the better last year, and now he has the chance to better that legacy even further. We owe him the chance to do it, and perhaps we will be rewarded in the end.
That's how I'm going to get through this today and each day after. One day at a time. Now, stop acting like my sponsor and get me a god damn drink.