One of the most impressive statistical seasons in school history was flushed down the toilet when Everett Golson could not stop turning the football over. With fumbles, poor decision-making and some plain bad luck plaguing Golson’s otherwise exceptional season, Brian Kelly chose Malik Zaire to be his starter for the Music City Bowl.
Zaire’s performance against LSU essentially rebooted a quarterback battle that at one point seemed near impossible for Golson to lose. But entering spring camp, it’s a two-man race to see who’ll get a chance to run a Notre Dame offense that should be the best of the last decade.
Heading into spring practice, let’s take a deep dive into the quarterback depth chart, headed by one of the best position battles in college football.
QUARTERBACK DEPTH CHART
1. Everett Golson, Grad Student
or Malik Zaire, Jr.*
3. DeShone Kizer, Soph.*
4. Montgomery VanGorder, Soph.*
*Signifies fifth-year of eligibility available.
With new quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford getting his first look at the three quarterbacks on the roster, don’t expect this battle to start during practice one. But before Brandon Wimbush gets to campus, all three quarterbacks have to be sharp from the open of practice, as the head coach won’t ever be too far away from the action.
SPRING OBJECTIVES
Everett Golson: While getting reacclimated to campus life and working his way through the media circus was Golson’s challenge last spring, the microscope will be just as fixated on the veteran quarterback during these 15 practices.
Last year, many wondered if Golson’s return would deliver the Irish offense its savior. Now, many are wondering if Golson even wants to fight for his job back or does he plan to transfer after he graduates in May to another program.
Golson knows Kelly’s offense better than any quarterback on the roster. He’s also the most talented passer. But making the extraordinary play doesn’t mean much if you can’t do the ordinary correctly, and a commitment to the little things this spring is crucial.
One last piece to keep your eye on: Golson’s leadership. Far from a natural born leader, Golson’s ownership of the offense could transfer to Zaire this spring if he’s not fully engaged.
Malik Zaire: For this spring to be a success, Zaire needs to prove to Kelly and the Irish coaching staff that he’s just as good of a practice player as he is a gamer. We’ve seen Zaire shine brightly on the big stage -- playing well in his first two Blue-Gold games and making his minutes count against USC before breaking loose against LSU.
But to be the face of an offense like this you need to be more than just a game day standout, you need to be the best practice player on the roster as well. Zaire just didn’t do that the last two seasons -- with Kelly speaking openly about that struggle multiple times.
Zaire is ready to lead this team -- he’s got charisma and confidence that most quarterbacks would kill for. But working with a new offensive coordinator and an offensive staff that’ll demand the quarterback owns the entire playbook means Zaire can’t afford to be the guy who can turn it on when he wants to. Not if he’s going to win the starting job.
DeShone Kizer: He may be the forgotten man in this quarterback battle, but Kizer’s got an important spring in front of him as well. Most importantly, it’s getting a foot forward in the battle for the No. 3 job -- before Wimbush gets to campus.
Kizer is an intriguing quarterback and going through the phase of his career where he’s forgotten (a redshirt year and a blue-chipper in the recruiting class will do that to you), with Wimbush the newest and shiniest at the position. But at 6'5" and with good speed and a solid arm, there’s plenty to like about Kizer, and he’ll need to show that he’s making progress this spring.
Montgomery VanGorder: Earning a scholarship last season as he served as the emergency third-stringer, VanGorder isn’t likely to take many snaps this spring, with reps going to Golson and Zaire with Kizer getting a sprinkling as well.
But that’s life for a walk-on, and VanGorder will have his chance to earn his keep by learning Sanford’s way of running the offense. That could mean this spring is about learning new hand signals. Or new techniques. Whatever it is, a fourth-stringer’s job is about doing the little (sometimes off field) things right, and this spring will be a chance to do that.