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After deciding last week to leave Notre Dame and play his final season of eligibility elsewhere, Everett Golson is currently working through the process of deciding where that next place will be. Here's what we know about that process:
* If Golson wants to play at an SEC school in 2015, however, there could be some hiccups. SEC rules state that a player seeking transfer would need a waiver from the commissioner's office if that player either a) faced "official" discipline from his previous athletic program or school, or b) has less than two years of eligibility remaining. Both cases apply to Golson, as he missed the 2013 season at Notre Dame due to an academic suspension and, as previously noted, has only one year of eligibility left.
* There are SEC schools interested in Golson — Georgia and Alabama reportedly among them — but he may face another hurdle even before seeking a waiver from the league (more on that in a sec).
* Golson can't transfer to Texas — a program that is on every short list of teams needing QB help and one that Bruce Feldman reported on The Audible had interest in Golson — because Notre Dame is blocking Golson from transferring to any school it plays in 2015, and the Irish face UT in Week 1.
* With all of that considered, Golson reportedly submitted a list of 10 schools to Notre Dame's compliance office for approval to transfer, and the Irish so far have not blocked him from pursuing any of those 10 schools — although, theoretically, they could. Before Golson even has to apply to the SEC for a waiver, Notre Dame can say, "Sorry, Everett, we don't want you playing for Alabama next year. Just because."
That's a huge problem. Notre Dame — which may have privately blocked Golson from more schools than just the ones on its 2015 schedule — holds ultimate power over the player and can completely dictate, if it chooses, the individual's next opportunity. Why is that the case? Golson has fulfilled his commitment to Notre Dame, by coming to South Bend and leaving with an undergraduate degree.
My colleague Stewart Mandel covered the issue of graduate transfers in depth on Monday, and it's among the most hot-button issues in college football right now. Coaches and administrators are pushing to maintain full autonomy over player movement while we move deeper into an era where players are fighting for — and winning those fights — more freedoms and benefits. As Stew points out, the graduate transfer rule is one of the few player-friendly rules among NCAA policies, and it serves as something of a reward for those who do specifically what every school and program says is most important: graduate with an undergrad degree.
College sports can't operate on a system where any player can transfer anywhere at any time — that'd open up literal free agency in college sports every offseason — but there should be some parameters. For underclassmen, they should be able to transfer to any school without restriction if their coach is fired or willingly leaves for a new job. For graduates, they should have the freedom to transfer anywhere they want without restriction to use their remaining eligibility.
If Golson wants to play at Texas, he should be able to play at Texas without permission from Notre Dame. He should never have to submit a list to ND compliance for approval. He's earned his degree and the opportunity to dictate his next move. It's nothing less than a joke that Notre Dame holds ultimate power over Golson and we still need to work through these scenarios with grad transfers.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. So where will Golson likely end up? It seems like Florida State is the heavy favorite, which was on Golson's list of 10 schools submitted to Notre Dame and is in the ACC, freeing Golson of the additional compliance process he'd face by going to the SEC. Feldman also notes Georgia should be considered a big player in the race. The guys discuss all of that off the top on The Audible and then welcome Newsweek's John Walters — a Notre Dame alum — to talk Golson and why Bill Simmons is a fascinating media story. Listen here:
2. Michigan self-reports four violations. Welp, that didn't take long! (Kidding, Michigan fans, calm down.) The Wolverines self-reported four minor infractions to the NCAA, which will come with no penalty. Michigan's staff will simply be "educated" by compliance. The issues are simple ones that come down to knowing compliance details, such as not speaking about a player before he's enrolled in the school, not allowing a recruit to sit in a special seat at a school sporting event (however you define "special), being aware of which auctions you donate signed items to and where those proceeds will go, etc. If you want more, here ya go.
Meanwhile, Penn State announced that its game against Michigan on Nov. 21 will be a White Out.
3. S-E-C! S-E-C! S-E-C! An Alabama couple got married. The groom's cake? It featured Nick Saban riding an elephant and holding a national championship trophy. Of course it did. Congrats to the couple.
LASTLY
This is a little inside baseball, but many of you express interest in the media business and the details of how this industry runs, so a quick thought: In The Audible from Monday, when Feldman and Mandel were talking with Walters about Bill Simmons, Feldman asked who's the first person you'd choose to build a media company around if you were starting from scratch today. All three guys struggled a bit to come up with an answer, and even when they did, there wasn't widespread disagreement. It's an interesting question, and I think you have to first decide specifically the kind of media company you're trying to build — digital, television network, multi-platform, etc. — and then reconsider how value is driven in the age of digital and social media. In my opinion, name brands have significantly declined in value online in this era.
My point: BuzzFeed is the largest and most profitable digital media company around (with Vice maybe being its only direct competitor). Without looking, can you name one person who writes for BuzzFeed? Most people can't, which underscores a stark message in the new media era: What matters in digital media is the quality of content ("quality" is subjective, but I just mean strictly how many people like and share a piece of content) and its distribution. Whose name is on the content matters less and less and in some cases not at all. We're seeing digital publishers drive value primarily through traffic-based and branded content models, which can be accomplished by anyone, theoretically. Other mediums centered around on-air programming remain more name-driven, but it's possible for a digital media company to make a ton of money without a singular well-known star. That's an interesting shift to think about.
Have a great Tuesday, everybody.
Teddy Mitrosilis works in content production at FOX Sports Digital. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.
