Everett Golson to Transfer from Notre Dame: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson reportedly informed head coach Brian Kelly on Thursday of his intention to transfer for his final season of college football.     

Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com passed along the news:

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports confirmed Golson notified the program:

He noted the quarterback will be available to play immediately:

Feldman relayed a statement from Golson:

"

After much thought, prayer and discussion with my family, I have decided that it is in my best interest to graduate from Notre Dame and transfer to another school effectively immediately. I would like to thank everyone at Notre Dame for the opportunity to compete at the highest level of college football, but most importantly to obtain my degree from one of the finest universities in the country. To all the Fighting Irish fans, I want to thank you for your support over the past four years and let you know I truly love Notre Dame. To my former teammates, who I will miss tremendously, I wish much success in the future and will be your biggest fan from afar.

"

Kelly also provided a statement, via Notre Dame's director of football media relations, Michael Bertsch:

Feldman weighed in regarding Golson's options:

Golson helped lead the Fighting Irish to the BCS National Championship Game in his first year as a starter in 2012. He missed the entire 2013 campaign due to academic issues, however, and he struggled to protect the football last season with 14 interceptions.

As a result, Malik Zaire received more playing time late in the year and ended up starting the team's 31-28 victory over LSU in the Music City Bowl.

The battle for the starting job had already started to heat up in Notre Dame's spring game. Now, it's over with Golson apparently deciding to seek a more stable option.

Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer suggests Texas could be interested:

For Notre Dame, the focus now shifts entirely to getting Zaire ready for full-time duty. While the sample size last season was extremely limited, he did show some positive signs in throwing for 266 yards and rushing for 187. Not having to worry about fighting for the job every week should take some of the pressure away.

Golson didn't put any timetable on making a decision of where to land next. He will probably take his time to survey the landscape and find a team where his grip on the starting spot will be more firm. That's important in his final year of collegiate eligibility.   

The situation should become more clear in the weeks ahead.