FSU lands former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson

A potential answer to the trivia question who replaced Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston at Florida State was announced on Tuesday – former Notre Dame starting quarterback Everett Golson.

Golson graduated from Notre Dame over the weekend with much media attention given to potential suitors hoping to land the 6’0”, 200 pound, two-year starter as a senior transfer. The other schools reportedly in the running included Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama.

FSU is getting an experienced player who helped lead the Fighting Irish to the 2012 national championship game. After sitting out in 2013 for academic issues he returned to action outperforming his 2012 numbers passing for 3,445 yards with 29 touchdowns and ran for 114 yards with another eight touchdowns.

While the numbers were up for the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina native so were the negative statistics. He was sacked 27 times last season as compared to 15 times in 2012 and threw 14 picks compared to six in his first year under center.

While few expect Golson to step in and replicate Winston’s 3,198 yards with 26 passing touchdowns, the supporting cast is there at FSU for another run to the college football playoffs. Aiding in the high expectations is the thought that the senior transfer has experience taking a team to a national championship.

Of the quarterbacks on FSU’s roster redshirt junior Sean Maguire was expected to win the starting job for the Seminoles. Maguire is the only FSU player with game experience and took first-team reps throughout spring practices. When FSU broke from spring ball redshirt sophomore John Franklin III appeared to take over as Maguire’s backup with redshirt freshman J.J. Consentino third on the depth chart.

FSU has two 4-star quarterbacks from the 2015 class with high upside coming into the fold as well, Deondre Francois (IMG Academy) and De’Andre Johnson (First Coast).

Whoever wins the starting QB job will have plenty of weapons surrounding him when the 2015 season kicks off. True sophomore running back Davlin Cook emerged as a premier weapon last season and as did wide receivers Travis Rudolph and Ermon Lane. Along with Rudolph and Lane on the outside is Bobo Wilson, Ja’Vonn Harrison, George Campbell (2015 early enrollee), and Kermit Whitfield.

Written by Ryan Wright

Photo credit: dailyrepublic.com; No. 5 Everett Golson drops back to pass for Notre Dame (2012).