Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Former Notre Dame QB Everett Golson explains transfer to Florida State

By Patrick Schmidt

facebooktwitterreddit

Former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson explains his decision to transfer to Florida State.

Everett Golson left Notre Dame where he started for two seasons to transfer to play for Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State Seminoles. Golson hadn’t commented publicly on his decision to leave the Fighting Irish until now in comments made to Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman.

More from ACC

Much of the outside speculation about Golson’s transfer was related to playing time after Malik Zaire started for Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl win against LSU last year. There was no bad feelings from Golson toward Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly for making the decision he believes is in the best interest of his team and Golson tells Feldman that he simply needed a fresh start.

“I’m still wearing Notre Dame stuff. It’s something that’s pretty crazy right now for me to adjust to, but I do think it was best for me. I just needed a fresh start. It was me sitting down and thinking, ‘OK, where do I feel the most comfortable?’ It was nothing to knock Notre Dame. I just had to put myself in the best position possible.”

Golson felt ready for his fresh start after going through the recruiting process as a highly regarded dual-threat quarterback out of Myrtle Beach years ago. He visited Florida and Georgia in addition to Florida State and believes his maturation over the years helped him find his second home.

“The good thing about me being in the position — I’m not an 18-year-old kid. I asked a bunch of questions. I’m 22 and could really get into where’s the best place that you can succeed and help the team’s success.”

Golson knew the best place for him to succeed and help his new team succeed was after he met with FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher. After playing for a demanding head coach in Kelly, Golson is now under the watch of arguably college football’s most demanding coach of his quarterbacks in Fisher, but Golson welcomes it.

During the visit Fisher made sure to point out that should he transfer to Florida State he wouldn’t be guaranteed the starting job and he would have to beat Sean Maguire for the right to succeed Jameis Winston under center. That candor stuck with Golson.

“One of the things I was looking for in a coach was for him to be genuine,” Golson said. “What he’s [Fisher] built there at Florida State really sold itself before I started really looking.” … “For me, it all started with him being genuine and for me to be able to (play) free again. I think that’s what I lost sight of last season. At the beginning of the season, I was playing free. I was having fun. Closer to the end of the season, it kinda came to feel like a burden.”

Golson arrives in Tallahassee on June 7 with one goal in mind, winning a national championship.

Next: Top 15 Transfers Who Will Dominate In 2015

More from Saturday Blitz

Home/ACC