Notre Dame Football: Will Tommy Rees Challenge Everett Golson for Starting Spot?

Notre Dame played the 84th installment of their annual Blue-Gold spring game. The game was, for the most part, uneventful, but one unexpected positional battle may have emerged. 

Backup quarterback Tommy Rees' performance had an unexpectedly strong performance. The veteran backup quarterback actually upstaged his replacement, sophomore Everett Golson.

Golson has been the subject of much fanfare in the weeks building up to the spring game. 

”I don’t know that you can even put him in the same category of where he started last year to where he’s at now,”  head coach Brian Kelly said to Frank Vitovitch of UHND.com, regarding Golson's progress in the offseason. 

Unfortunately, that progress did not materialize into success on the field, as Golson made freshman mistakes early in the game and threw a pick in the second quarter that set the tone for the rest of his time on the field.

Rees, however, impressed with his reliability and solid arm. He led the team on a solid 10-play drive and avoided the interceptions that cost him his starting spot. 

Could Rees' success in the spring game lead to him challenging incumbent quarterback Golson for the starting spot?

The simple answer to that question is no.

One thing was clear, though.

Golson is not yet ready to lead the Irish offense alone. Unless Golson has a breakthrough, expect to see Rees on the field this fall. 

It would also behoove Golson to spend some time in the film room with Rees, as the senior quarterback demonstrates a cool, collected presence in the pocket while under fire that the sophomore starter still lacks.