After his not-so-surprising announcement of an impending exit from Notre Dame this past week, Everett Golson has not so surprisingly been mentioned in connection to more than a handful of high-profile potential transfer destinations. Two in particular, though, have piqued the quarterback’s attention.
Citing a source with direct knowledge of the situation, 247Sports.com‘s Clint Brewster reports that Golson has tentative visits scheduled this week for South Carolina (Monday) and Georgia (Tuesday). The recruiting website added that the Bulldogs and Gamecocks, both in search of a new starter at the quarterback position, are believed to be Golson’s top two choices for a transfer destination. Golson is a Myrtle Beach, SC, native, and it’s believed that the East Coast USC is a prohibitive favorite to bring the player back home for his final season of college football.
The visits are tentative, however, with the site writing that they are “in danger of falling through if the paperwork for Golson’s release from the Fighting Irish isn’t finalized in time, and if either school learns a waiver for Golson’s eligibility could be denied.”
And therein lies the rub as it pertains to an SEC school looking to land the starter of the 2012 BCS title game. Not only would Golson need to be released by Notre Dame to wherever he wants to land, he would also need a waiver from the SEC as he was suspended for the entire 2013 season because of academic misconduct.
14.1.15.1 (d) is the specific SEC bylaw that could prevent Everett Golson from transferring. There's a waiver process pic.twitter.com/ipWpLjw8UC
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) May 7, 2015
Golson would be forced to file for a waiver from the conference if he wants to use his final season of eligibility at an SEC program.. The fact that Golson was readmitted to Notre Dame after the academic misconduct and will graduate from the academically-stringent university this coming weekend should play a significant factor in his favor during the appeals process.
In addition to USC and UGA, other SEC schools mentioned in connection to Golson include Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss. Not surprisingly, two of those three schools -- Rebels, Tide -- will have a new starting quarterback in 2015, while the Tigers have uncertainty at the position even as they return two players who started games in 2014. Florida State, Duke, Louisville, Oregon State, Washington and Wisconsin have also been mentioned as potential landing spots, as has Michigan.
Texas, in perpetual pursuit of an answer at the quarterback position, has also been mentioned as a potential landing spot, although it’s hard to believe the Irish would release him to the Longhorns as those two teams will square off in the opener this season.