Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME The Quarterbacks … Again By Andrew Owens Stop me if you've heard this before, but another spring practice begins at Notre Dame with yet another quarterback controversy. It was somewhat difficult to en- vision this situation back in mid- October when senior Everett Gol- son was thrust into the Heisman Trophy conversation after leading the Irish to a 6-0 start and then a near upset of No. 2 Florida State, but he will have to win an offsea- son quarterback competition for the third time. Sophomore Malik Zaire effec- tively engineered a 31-28 win over LSU in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 with his legs and arm, along with some help from Gol- son. His ability to spark the of- fense with the read option might be too enticing to pass up for head coach Brian Kelly and his staff, which now includes a fresh voice in new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford. Whether it's Golson or Zaire or both that Notre Dame calls upon to win in 2015, it is the top sto- ryline of the spring. It's not a new development that the quarterback is the most important player on the field, but the position has become increas- ingly reflective of a team's win-loss record. It's almost impossible in this era of college football to win a national championship — especially with the introduction of the four-team College Football Playoff — without a productive quarterback. Golson and Zaire both have the tools, but which one will be handed the keys to the Irish offense? Coaching Changes Set Tone By Lou Somogyi The most visible position in football — quarter- back — will likely have the most intrigue again this spring among Irish faithful. What that will boil down to is whether incumbent Everett Golson can buy into a time-share plan with Music City Bowl MVP Malik Zaire. In the bigger 2015 picture, how- ever, how a revamped coaching staff assimilates and jells will have a greater impact. The defense, which surrendered the most points in school history last year (not always its fault), has new leaders at each position group: Keith Gilmore (de- fensive line), Mike Elston (lineback- ers, after coaching the line from 2010-14) and Todd Lyght (second- ary). Coordinator Brian VanGorder isn't listed with a position group per se while serv- ing as a floater, but the bulk of his time is expected to be on the back end, specifically safeties. Over on offense, head coach Brian Kelly hired Boise State's Mike Sanford as offensive coordina- tor/quarterbacks coach to help turn the meet- ing room "upside down" by challenging the head coach and associate head coach Mike Denbrock on strategy. Kelly has indicated who will handle the play calling is still to be sorted out — although the belief here is it's always difficult for the man in charge to relinquish it. Autry Denson as running backs coach is yet another new addition. Change can be healthy for a college football pro- gram, or it can backfire. Which direction it takes at Notre Dame will have its opening steps in the spring. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST STORYLINE HEADING INTO SPRING CAMP? Click here to listen to the complete discussion. ▼ For the third time in his career, senior Everett Golson finds himself involved in an offseason competition for the starting quarterback job. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA