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Everett Golson makes FSU a College Football Playoff threat once again
When Florida State and Oregon met in the first-ever College Football Playoff semifinal last January, each trotted out a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota became synonymous with their respective teams for what seemed much longer than two to three years.
There's no avoiding a changing of the guard in college football, but the 'Noles and Ducks may have found a way to at least mitigate the dropoff. Rather than elevating previous backups this fall, the two powers may still be able to turn to experienced quarterbacks with championship experience.
Notre Dame graduate transfer Everett Golson's decision to play his fifth year at Florida State adds a fascinating wrinkle to the 2015 College Football Playoff race -- much like Vernon Adams' move up from Eastern Washington to Oregon earlier this offseason. Both pickups could well prove the missing pieces for a pair of teams with the pieces to contend again this season save for significant questions at quarterback. Together they may mark the apex of college football's nascent free-agent quarterback craze if officials ultimately succeed in scrapping the rule that allows it.
And both will be closely watched for their own individual storylines. Adams' unprecedented jump from FCS to the Power 5 was already fascinating in its own right. Now we'll see whether the talented but star-crossed Golson, whose career has already had more starts and stops than a DVR receiver, can produce a redemptive final chapter while trading blue and gold for garnet and gold.
One of Irish coach Brian Kelly's most important early recruits, Golson, a dual-threat prospect out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, showed promise as a redshirt freshman starter for the 2012 Irish team that reached the BCS National Championship Game, albeit under tightly controlled reins. Any momentum from that run went out the window, though, with his season-long academic suspension for cheating the following year. Golson returned in 2014 and immediately vaulted into the Heisman conversation with his strong early start only to crash with an inexplicable rash of turnovers. He lost his starting job in the Music City Bowl against LSU and was no sure thing to reclaim it this fall.
A fresh start made sense for both parties.
It's no sure thing Golson will win FSU's starting job, either. Like Adams, he'll have just a few weeks of preseason practice to acclimate to a new offense and new teammates. And his chief competitor, redshirt junior Sean Maguire, already made a collegiate start last season against Clemson, throwing a 74-yard touchdown against the Tigers' eventual No. 1-ranked defense in an overtime win.
Many will assume that 'Noles coach Jimbo Fisher lacks faith in Maguire by opting to bring in an outsider, but this is a particularly unique case. Fisher got a first-hand look at Golson when Notre Dame visited Tallahassee in one of last season's most memorable games -- and Golson came as close as humanly possible to beating the 'Noles. He in fact threw what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown that officials disallowed on a controversial illegal pick call.
Given Golson's, and then-undefeated Notre Dame's, implosion over the second half of the season, it's easy to forget just how impressive the Irish quarterback was that night. His 31-of-52, 313-yard performance against the then-second-ranked 'Noles included three touchdown passes and an incredible fourth-and-18 conversion on the Irish's last-minute drive. It was easily the most ringing testimonial to date for Golson's talents.
But like his career as a whole, his night was also flawed by two interceptions. They were but two of a staggering 22 turnovers by season's end, including four pick-sixes and eight lost fumbles. Golson so persistently frustrated his notoriously short-tempered head coach that after a nightmarish six-turnover day in a blowout loss at Arizona State, Kelly all but threw up his hands. "I don't know what else to do," he said.
All of which left many college football followers puzzled during the past couple weeks of Golson Watch (which included visits to FSU, Florida and Georgia). Is this turnover machine of a quarterback really worth the trouble, they asked?
The answer, of course, is absolutely. If you're Fisher, and you have a scholarship to spare, why wouldn't you spend it on a talented, experienced college quarterback who could start from Day 1?
The turnovers are concerning, obviously, but FSU won 13 games last year despite Winston himself throwing 18 interceptions. There's also the argument that a frustrated Maguire might transfer if Golson beats him out, leaving the 'Noles in an even more precarious spot 12 months later. Fisher presumably knows whether that's a real risk and is comfortable with it. He's also acutely aware of the pressures that come with coaching a now-expected playoff contender. He's got to worry first and foremost about winning in 2015. His 2016 quarterback derby could look considerably different by the time that distant day rolls around.
As for Golson, FSU seemed an unlikely destination when he first announced his intention to transfer but became the de facto common sense choice shortly thereafter. SEC schools like Alabama and LSU were more commonly rumored early on, and indications are Georgia was the most serious contender behind FSU.
But the uncertainty whether Golson would be granted a waiver to play for an SEC school (the conference's bylaw regarding grad transfers expressly prohibits anyone who served a disciplinary punishment at his former school) made choosing one of those schools extremely risky. At FSU, Golson will play in a system that's produced three straight first-round quarterbacks (Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel and Winston) and surround himself with elite blockers and receivers.
Whether Golson harbors realistic NFL aspirations remains to be seen. That's a year away. The immediate implications are for college football, where Ohio State is no longer the only one of last season's playoff participants to bring back experience at quarterback. In fact, it's conceivable that three of last season's top four -- Alabama, FSU and Oregon -- will start a former grad transfer this fall if Jake Coker wins the Crimson Tide's job.
Coker, of course, began his career in Tallahassee, where Golson will now land. For the nation's expected playoff contenders, quarterback depth charts can change considerably from one offseason to the next. For Fisher, that means going for broke now and worrying about next year when it matters.
Stewart Mandel is a senior college sports columnist for FOXSports.com. He covered college football and basketball for 15 years at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter @slmandel. Send emails and Mailbag questions to Stewart.Mandel@fox.com.
