Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/651219
UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE T he often-caustic and plenty-po- larized reaction regarding Everett Golson returning to campus March 31 to prepare for the NFL Draft by par- ticipating in the Notre Dame Pro Day workouts was eye-opening but not surprising. Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but in the case of the former Irish quarter- back who finished his career at ACC ri- val Florida State, the adage apparently doesn't apply. To some out in the "Twitterverse" and on other social me- dia, because Golson left South Bend he shouldn't be allowed back in. Well guess what? He's coming back, and he's coming back for all the right reasons. Golson needs Notre Dame for this pro day event and Notre Dame needs Golson. For Notre Dame, all three quarter- backs on its roster — DeShone Kizer, Malik Zaire and Brandon Wimbush — have eligibility remaining, prohibiting them from participating in the event to work with Irish pro day receivers Will Fuller, C.J. Prosise, Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle. For Golson, all 16 of the receivers who caught passes for Florida State last season also have eligibility remaining, so there would be no viable candidates for him to throw to if he participated in Florida State's pro day March 29. The return to South Bend of the prodigal quarter- back — and the reaction to it — helps to fuel an ongoing debate over the growing popularity of play- ers using the grad- uate transfer rule in the way Golson did to leave Notre Dame. For background, student-athletes who have earned their degree but still have athletic eligibility remain- ing can transfer to another school for graduate classes and play immediately, staying free from the penalty of sitting out a season that the traditional under- graduate transfer rules mandate. Super Bowl champion quarterback Russell Wilson remains the most no- table player to use the graduate transfer process when he left North Carolina State for Wisconsin after graduation in 2011 and parlayed his move to Madison Everett Golson's Return Reignites A Debate Golson, who was invited to participate in Notre Dame's Pro Day March 31, used his fifth year of eligibility at Florida State in 2015. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA