Dynasty Scouts Instant Analysis: Everett Golson transfers to FSU

Doug Green Posted On May 21, 2015

golson

“No guarantees.”

That’s what former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson got for his trouble as he used the graduate transfer rule to move on to Florida State. He arrives on campus with only the promise of open competition for the starting job, nothing more, nothing less.

Golson had an up and down career for the Fighting Irish. In 2012, he took his team to the National Championship game. The next season, he was suspended academically after allegedly being caught cheating on an exam. He returned in 2014 and got off to a hot start, but the team and Golson cooled off in the back half of the schedule and sophomore Malik Zaire began getting more and more snaps. Golson finished the season with 3,445 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. All in all, he compiled 5,850 yards, 41 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his career for the Fighting Irish.

Golson will be 23 when he enters the 2016 NFL Draft. But for now, let’s take a look how this move will affect the upcoming college season and your devy leagues.

What it means to Golson

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Golson goes to a talented, pro-style offense and a coach whose last two starting quarterbacks have been first-round NFL draft selections. While Brian Kelly is no slouch as a coach, Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher has a strong recent track record with getting the most out of his signal callers.

What Golson doesn’t have is familiarity with his new teammates. It was pointed out that redshirt junior Sean Maguire has been throwing to these receivers for four years. Golson will have to learn their idiosyncrasies and a complex, pro-style system in just under four months. If he can gel quickly, he has a group highlighted by Jesus Wilson, Travis Rudolph, and Ermon Lane that recorded 93 receptions and nine scores.

Golson is prone to turnovers though, and that becomes Fisher’s top priority to fix.

If Golson takes to his coaching, maximizes his weapons and wins a lion’s share of his games, he becomes an intriguing draft prospect. He has a live arm, but is a little small by NFL standards, coming in at 6’0”, 200 pounds. Fisher’s system will help him in the same ways it helped E.J. Manuel and Jameis Winston, but Golson will have to produce to repeat their outcomes.

What it means to Florida St.

Despite the smoke that Fisher is blowing about Golson only guaranteed a chance to compete, he is the most talented quarterback on the roster. Maguire won his only start last season, filling in for a suspended Winston against Clemson, but he was far from sharp in that outing. Reports from the Seminoles spring game also say Maguire was hit-and-miss there as well.

Golson buys Fisher another recruiting year, plus a bigger name to sell on the recruiting trail. He also has 25 career starts under his belt, more than every quarterback on the FSU roster combined. If Florida State is in the mix for the playoffs, and they may very well be even with Maguire at the controls, having a quarterback who has experience in pressure-packed games is a clear advantage.

Like I mentioned above, Golson has a live arm, much more so that Maguire. That will allow Fisher and the offense to stretch the field vertically. That forces defenses to not keep eight in the box and provides more running room for the likes of Dalvin Cook, who had just over 1,000 yards last season as a freshman. More scoring means less pressure on the defense and should lead to more wins and more notoriety for the quarterback.

Tomahawknation.com pointed out that since Maguire has been entrenched with the team for four years, if Golson doesn’t come in and win over the locker room right away, there may be a split along the lines guys who are loyal to Maguire.

What it means to Notre Dame

Golson leaving opens the door all the way for Zaire. He threw only 35 passes last season, but completed 21 of them for 266 yards and one touchdown. Zaire struggled in a blowout loss to USC, but was outstanding in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl against LSU. He finished that night 12-for-15 for 96 yards and a touchdown passing along with 22 runs for 96 yards and another score on the ground in a win.

Despite losing Golson, many are picking the Irish as a playoff contender. Notre Dame has a new offensive coordinator in Mike Sanford, an experienced offensive line and good skill position talent. If Golson would have stayed, he would have likely split time with Zaire again. By moving on, both young men now command their own programs.

The problem with that is, if Zaire struggles or regresses, there really isn’t a safety net to turn to, so there is there is plenty of pressure on him to produce.

Conclusion

As a devy player, Golson’s decision has a far-reaching impact. He moves to a solid program and it should help his draft stock. At this point, if he’s on your roster, I would say he’s at least a hold. I doubt you can acquire him cheaply, but if you get the opportunity to do so, I would pick him up.

By Golson moving to Florida State, that only helps the likes of Wilson, Rudolph, and Lane, much more so than Maguire ever would. His dynamic playmaking, he is a very good runner as well, will only help the young receivers develop. That trio has talent and should be on your devy radar as well.

Zaire is now the man at Notre Dame. His development should take off without splitting practice reps and game snaps. If he can develop a rapport with William Fuller, C.J. Prosise, Amir Carlisle, and Corey Robinson, that could be a nice core to pick from for devy talent. Of that group, Fuller and Robinson are prospects to acquire.

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