Notre Dame Football: 5 Reasons Why Everett Golson Starting at QB Won't Last

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish has been looking for a starting quarterback ever since head coach Brian Kelly stepped on campus. The lack of production from the position has really prevented this team from moving forward.

With the season opener about a week away, it appears that Notre Dame has settled on a starting quarterback for the 2012 regular season. (Via Keith Arnold of NBC)

"

I expect Everett Golson to be named Notre Dame's starting quarterback today.

— Keith Arnold (@KeithArnoldNBC) August 23, 2012"

That report has also been backed up by Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune.

This really comes as no surprise, as Golson has played the best throughout camp, but while it may be the right decision, it is one that certainly will not last the entire year.

Inexperience

Golson has all of the tools to succeed; he has a live arm, above-average accuracy and of course can create plays with his feet. But while the traits to be successful are there, he is still a redshirt freshman who will of course experience a few growing pains along with the way.

He is going to see new things thrown his way from opposing defenses, and he will still force plays by trying to do too much. We see it from every young quarterback over the years, and it is not very often where youngsters last the entire season.

Golson could eventually turn into a special player, but expecting the next Joe Montana is not going to happen his freshman season.

Competition

While Golson has been the best quarterback so far throughout camp, he is certainly not the only solid prospect on this roster.

Andrew Hendrix has played well, and he is actually a bigger version of Golson. He, too, has a strong arm, can make the throws and can hurt you with his legs. Tommy Rees, although he was brutal last season, still has two years of experience, which is more than any other quarterback on this team can say, and that has to give him some type of advantage for playing time. We also can't forget about Gunner Kiel, who was a 5-star recruit last year.

Notre Dame has struggled to find a consistent player over the years at quarterback, but the answer is likely on this roster. It would be foolish to think that Golson is the only one that is given a shot with all of the talent that is behind him.

Schedule

Usually we see a change in the quarterback position when the starter begins to have a hard time and loses all confidence in his game. Well, have you seen the Notre Dame schedule lately? The Irish play four teams that had a top-30 defense in 2011, and that does not include an Oklahoma team that will be improved this year.

Everybody has bashed Brian Kelly for two consecutive 8-5 finishes, but with the schedule that awaits them, I'm sure Irish fans would be thrilled with eight wins for a third time. This schedule would be difficult for a fourth-year starter, let alone a freshman who hasn't faced any defense besides the one on his team.

We will see another quarterback at some point.

Wear and Tear

Golson is listed at 6'0", 185 pounds on the Notre Dame website. And with that, he isn't exactly one of the biggest quarterbacks in the country. Then when you add his playing style into the conversation, I'm just not sure if this guy will be able to hold up for an entire season.

If he was more of a traditional quarterback that stands in the pocket and gets rid of the ball quickly, then we may be having a different conversation. But for somebody who likes to take off and pickup extra yards with his feet, his size is a serious question mark.

I hope Golson has learned how to slide properly and duck out of bounds in fall camp, because it could be a long season for the little guy if he hasn't.

Past History

In Brian Kelly's nine seasons as a head coach, there have been three seasons where at least two quarterbacks have thrown 100 passes. In 2009, when Cincinnati reached the Sugar Bowl, Kelly was using a combination of Tony Pike and Zach Collaros. In 2010, Kelly was torn between Dayne Crist and Tommy Rees.

Last year, the Irish played a total of three different quarterbacks when none of them seemed to play with any type of consistency.

Kelly is one of those coaches that likes to go with the hot hand instead of sticking it out with the original guy he picked. With all of these factors playing into the decision and his past history, don't be surprised when somebody else is eventually playing quarterback for Notre Dame in 2012.