Everett Golson Cleared to Practice
Notre Dame announced on Wednesday that starting quarterback Everett Golson passed all of the cognitive tests he needed to in order to resume practice. While Brian Kelly didn’t address the media today, it is assumed based on his previous statements that Golson will start this weekend against BYU baring any set backs this week.
Golson suffered a concussion during Notre Dame’s final drive in regulation on Saturday against Stanford and was forced to the sidelines for the rest of regulation and overtime. In his absence, Tommy Rees came off the bench to cap off the game tying drive by leading the Irish to a field goal before connecting with TJ Jones for the game winning score in overtime.
Had Golson not passed his cognitive tests and been able to resume practice today, it would have been very difficult for him to start this weekend. By passing the tests though, Golson only missed a day of practice and should have enough time to be prepared for BYU this weekend.
Many on the forum felt the best course of action for Notre Dame would be to rest Golson this weekend so he is 100% for Notre Dame’s trip to Norman next weekend, but given the shaky performance he turned in against Stanford, the sophomore signal caller needs all of the experience he can get right now to speed up the learning curve Brian Kelly talked about during his Sunday press conference. That is, of course, as long as Golson has passed all precautionary measures and is medically cleared to play.
After taking a big step forward against Miami, Golson fumbled three times – losing all three – against Stanford and struggled to make the proper reads early on in the game. By the end of the game Golson had settled in and was looking strong on that final drive before getting knocked out of the game.
Should Golson suffer any setbacks, Notre Dame should be able to get passed BYU with Rees leading the Irish offense, but having Golson back there will just further speed up his development and better prepare him and the Notre Dame offene for the showdown with Oklahoma.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
JC-totally agree about all this OU jabber. Concentrate on the opponent at hand.
OU will be the one worrying; trust me on this one.
Let’s try and understand EG’s medical assessment and prognosis 1st, rather than being spooked by the word Oklahoma. I highly doubt Frank was trying to jinx the BYU game.
Here come the Irish!
Let’s focus on the next game, BYU. No counting future chickens before they’re hatched. I’m glad EG was cleared. If he can play and the doc is ok with it, let him play.
The tsunmai irish wave is starting to rise, ready to wash away a couger or 2, haha
Goooooooooooooo Irishhhhhhhhhhhhh
Kudos Frank,
Excellent analysis on EG, BYU and Oklahoma!
Here come the Irish!
Let’s not talk about Oklah…….
Thanks!