Everett Golson's Reduced Role for Notre Dame Is Smart Tactic Heading into 2015

Notre Dame is still celebrating the high of its last-second victory over LSU in the Music City Bowl, but there's a lingering question about what the future holds for quarterback Everett Golson. 

It's no secret that Golson has been on thin ice as the starter for weeks. He got off to a hot start in 2014 but ended the year throwing at least one interception in the last nine games of the regular season. He had seven games with a completion percentage under 60 from October 4 through the bowl game. 

Head coach Brian Kelly opened up the quarterback competition in preparation for the Music City Bowl and even gave the start to sophomore Malik Zaire. Both players got in the game, including on the final drive that resulted in a game-winning field goal, but it left things open for 2015. 

According to Pete Sampson of IrishIllustrated.com, Golson will return to Notre Dame with the intention of graduating this spring:

That leaves open the possibility for Golson to transfer without having to sit out a season, as noted by Mike Huguenin of NFL.com, since he would qualify as a "graduate transfer."

Golson is officially a senior but has one more year of eligibility left after he was suspended from school for the fall semester in 2013 due to what he called "poor judgement on a test," as he told Sports Illustrated, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

With so many unanswered questions for Notre Dame and Golson, the only thing that would benefit everyone involved is to see what another quarterback could do. 

At a Monday press conference in which Kelly announced Zaire as the starter, he said the decision was strictly about the bowl game, via Jim Kleinpeter of The New Orleans Times-Picayune:

"

We're going to start Malik Zaire. We're obviously going to play both quarterbacks. Tomorrow is about 2014, it's not about 2015. Our focus is on winning tomorrow's football game. Playing both of them gives us the best chance to win tomorrow.

We'll figure out 2015 in January. This is about both of these guys giving us the best chance to win.

"

That can be interpreted as spin because the seniors who are going to graduate don't care what happens, but there's little doubt that Kelly needed to evaluate what he has moving forward. What better time to do that than a game against an LSU defense that ranks sixth with 17.5 points allowed per game?

Kelly got the answer he was looking for, as Notre Dame came out of the gate more explosive than it had been in weeks. The offense was firing on all cylinders with 449 total yards, including 263 on the ground, and Zaire had 192 total yards with two touchdowns. 

Golson wasn't bad in his time on the field, accounting for 96 total yards, but the offense was moving better with Zaire under center. 

JOE RAYMOND/Associated Press

It may not be the situation Golson wanted, though, he can rectify that by moving to another school that can promise him a starting job in 2015. He's certainly talented enough to warrant another look, even being an early Heisman contender in 2014 before everything fell apart. 

Despite the struggles, Golson still threw for more yards (3,445) and touchdowns (29) than Alabama's Blake Sims (3,250, 26). His mobility in and out of the pocket leaves a lot to be desired, but the base requirements for a starting quarterback are there to work with. 

Notre Dame can feel confident with Zaire as the No. 1 guy heading into next year if Golson opts to transfer. It can also retain the option of having an open competition for 2015 if Golson decides to stay. 

The possibilities for Notre Dame and Golson are vast thanks to Kelly's decision in the Music City Bowl. It does leave some unanswered questions right now, but everyone will benefit in the long run because of what happened in the Fighting Irish's bowl win.