Would Former Notre Dame QB Everett Golson Really Be Good Fit at Alabama?
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama’s search for a quarterback took a small but sharp turn on Wednesday.
ESPN.com’s Brett McMurphy confirmed speculation that had predictably been swirling ever since Everett Golson announced his intention to transfer from Notre Dame:
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Of course, the last time the Crimson Tide saw Golson, he was running for his life in a BCS Championship Game slaughter. But a lot has changed since that decidedly one-sided night in Miami, and now Alabama, reportedly, wants Golson on its side.
So would he be a good fit at Alabama? How possible is it that it actually happens?
If he can get to campus (more on that in a moment), there’s no guarantee that he would be the starting quarterback, like anybody who would theoretically transfer to Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide already have five quarterbacks on campus, none of whom are far and away a favorite, nor particularly terrible either. It’s an even fight so far.
Golson’s biggest personal obstacle to the starting job is his ball security, or lack thereof.
Nick Saban first and foremost wants his quarterbacks to make good decisions and take care of the football. Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett visited with the Alabama staff during the offseason, and he preached the strong correlation turnover margin has to winning percentage.
Saban has been repeating that wisdom any chance he’s had this spring. If you didn't think ball security was important to him, you know now.
And the quarterback may be the single most responsible person for turnovers on the field.
“Knowledge and experience comes into that,” Saban said after a spring scrimmage, listing characteristics he wants in a quarterback. “Instincts and awareness, understanding of the offense, confidence, all these things are factors in this. Ability to be accurate, be a good decision-maker with the ball, take care of the ball.”
Golson didn’t exactly do that last year, committing 22 total turnovers, most of which came in a season-ending free-fall of five losses in six games after winning six straight to open the year.
The thought of 22 turnovers coming from a single player probably makes Saban pull out his hair, which is gray enough already.
Still, Golson has FBS starting experience, something no other quarterback currently in Tuscaloosa can say—including Jake Coker, who couldn’t latch on right away as a grad transfer last year.
If Golson were to win the starting job and show that he can take care of the ball, he would be a good fit for Lane Kiffin’s offense.
The Blake Sims comparisons may seem lazy, but there is some legitimacy there.
Both listed at 6’0", they’re similar in stature. Their passing numbers from last season are eerily similar, too:
| Blake Sims | 64.5 | 249.1 | 28 | 10 |
| Everett Golson | 60 | 265 | 29 | 14 |
And while he doesn’t run as much as Sims or put up the same type of numbers on the ground, he does possess the lightning-bolt quickness, especially evading the rush behind the line of scrimmage.
Kiffin has proved that he can take on a raw, project-type quarterback and turn him into an All-SEC-caliber player. It’s hard to believe he couldn’t do the same with Golson.
This is all assuming, too, that Golson will be able to transfer to Alabama, which is far from a certainty, as McMurphy pointed out in his original report.
The SEC has strict graduate transfer rules that will make it very hard for Golson to get a waiver.
For one, the player has to have two years of eligibility left, not one. However, there is an exception for someone who wants to pursue a graduate degree not offered at their former school. I’d trust Saban and Alabama’s academic advisers could find one that fits that description.
But there is another condition that must be met for an exception to be granted:
"The student-athlete has not been subject to official university or athletics department disciplinary action at any time during enrollment at any previous collegiate institution (excluding limited discipline applied by a sports team).
"
Golson definitely falls short there.
Before the 2013 fall semester, Golson was dismissed from school entirely for what the school called “poor academic judgement.” He told Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples that he cheated on a test.
That certainly qualifies as “official university… disciplinary action” and would seemingly make him ineligible for a transfer anywhere in the SEC, not just to Alabama.
Golson-to-Alabama would give the Crimson Tide another candidate at quarterback, and an interesting, high-profile one at that.
But there are plenty of hurdles to cross first, both on and off the field.
Alabama needs to persuade the SEC to even get him to campus. Golson has to take better care of the football or he'll never see the field.
If the Crimson Tide can get those done, they'll have a quarterback with the right skill set to thrive under Lane Kiffin and be just the piece they were looking for under center.
Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes and reporting were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.
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