As he has from the beginning of this odyssey, Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman has been out front on the Everett Golson transfer news. Releasing Golson’s original statement and getting the first comments out of the former Notre Dame quarterback, Feldman is back at it, talking with Golson about the thought process that led him to pick Florida State.
The quotes, as you may have guessed are quite interesting. As Golson trains in San Diego, interestingly still working with Irish slot receiver Amir Carlisle, it’s clear that the change to a different program is still one that takes getting used to.
“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,” Golson told Fox Sports. “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.”
Finding that “best position possible” wasn’t easy.
Golson acknowledged that some of the SEC destinations were tougher to consider because of the conference bylaw that required a waiver process. He also talked about the idea of playing for Charlie Strong at Texas, a move that didn’t seem possible with the Irish opening up against the Longhorns to start the season.
“It was pretty awkward, but it was kind of expected. It would’ve been interesting to see Texas,” Golson told Fox Sports. They (Notre Dame) basically limited me to the schools that we wouldn’t play. I wasn’t really surprised by it.”
But those early reports that had Notre Dame over-zealously blocking scholarship opportunities didn’t turn out to be a reality. Golson actually appreciated how Notre Dame’s staff and compliance team helped him work his way through the process.
But Golson’s most interesting comments pertain to his new relationship with Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher. Here’s Golson’s initial reaction to meeting with the Florida State head coach.“One of the things I was looking for in a coach was for him to be genuine,” Golson said. “What he’s built there at Florida State really sold itself before I started really looking. Actually sitting down and talking to him, I felt like he was gonna shoot me straight and he was a genuine guy. If you’re not doing so well, he’s gonna tell you, and if you are doing well, he’s gonna tell you that, too. I can really respect a guy like that.
“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.”
While Golson didn’t say a thing about his previous head coach in this statement, what he did say certainly tells the story. While there’s certainly a danger of reading too far into these comments, it’s hard not to wonder what Golson is saying about his past coach when he’s saying this about his new one.
And while he made it clear that being coached hard wasn’t an issue (Fisher has done that plenty, too) “playing free” was the goal. (Though it certainly feels a lot like how Golson played down the stretch, turning a hot start into a turnover-plagued mess as the Irish’s offensive leader couldn’t get out of his own way.)
Golson talked about the mistakes and 22 turnovers piling up, and how he plans on making sure that’s not the case in 2015.
“It was me just not taking care of the ball. It was me trying to do too much at times,” Golson told Feldman. “Not giving up on plays. Me trying to escape the pocket and not keeping two hands on the ball. Just being real careless. Lots of little detail stuff. And that costs us a little bit. At the end of the day what didn’t happen was me getting back to the fundamentals.”
In the end, while all parties involved have said the right thing—Golson included—it’s hard not to conclude that this split is mostly about Golson wanting a change of scenery. As someone who worked through significant adversity to earn his degree from Notre Dame, Golson certainly earned that opportunity.
So while it’s hard for certain Notre Dame fans to understand how a quarterback could walk away from a loaded depth chart and a strong returning roster to take a leap into the unknown, Golson has already done it.
Now it’s time for all parties to move on.