Everett Golson facts for kids

Everett Demone Golson, born on January 2, 1993, is a former professional football quarterback from America. He played quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 2011 to 2015. After graduating from Notre Dame, Golson decided to transfer to Florida State to continue his college football career.

Early Life and High School Success

Everett Golson grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His parents are Sherwin "Wayne" and Cynthia Golson.

At Myrtle Beach High School, Golson was a star athlete. He threw 151 touchdown passes for the football team during his high school career. He led his team to win the AAA state titles in 2008 and 2010. Golson also played basketball as a point guard. He helped his basketball team win a state championship in 2008 and was named to the all-state team.

Golson first planned to attend North Carolina for college. However, he later changed his mind and chose to go to the University of Notre Dame.

College Football Journey

Starting at Notre Dame: 2011 and 2012 Seasons

In 2011, Golson was a redshirt player. This means he practiced with the team but did not play in games. The starting quarterback, Tommy Rees, led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to an 8–5 record that year.

During the 2012 season, Golson became the starting quarterback. He led the Fighting Irish all the way to the National Title game. They played against the Alabama Crimson Tide in that championship game.

A Break from Notre Dame

In May 2013, Golson was suspended from Notre Dame. This was due to an academic rule violation. He was not allowed to be enrolled at the university during this time.

After missing the entire 2013 football season, Golson was allowed back at Notre Dame on December 13, 2013. He could not practice or travel with the team for the Pinstripe Bowl game. Golson later explained that he had cheated on a test, which led to his suspension.

Returning to Play: 2014 Season

The 2014 Fighting Irish team started the year very strong. They won their first six games and were ranked No. 5 in the country by October 12. Early victories included wins over Rice (49–17), Michigan (31–0), Purdue (30–14), and Syracuse (31–15).

On October 4, Notre Dame played against No. 14 Stanford. Golson threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Ben Koyack with only 1:01 left in the game, helping his team win. Golson completed 20 of 43 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns in that game.

Notre Dame then won a high-scoring game against North Carolina (50–43) on October 11. They later lost to then-#2 ranked Florida State by a score of 31–27 on October 18.

After a strong start, Notre Dame's performance dipped, winning only one of their next five games. Golson was benched in favor of his backup, Malik Zaire, during a big loss to rival USC. To end the season, Golson and Zaire shared playing time in the Music City Bowl. The Irish defeated LSU 31–28. Golson completed 6 of 11 passes for 90 yards in the bowl game.

Golson had some impressive games in 2014. On August 30 against Rice, he threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns. The next week, he completed 23 of 34 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns against the Michigan Wolverines. On September 13, Golson threw for 259 yards and two scores, also leading the team in rushing with 56 yards against Purdue.

Against Syracuse on September 27, Golson set a Notre Dame school record. He completed 25 passes in a row, which was almost the NCAA record. He threw for 362 yards and four touchdowns, completing 32 of 39 passes.

In the close loss to Florida State, Golson threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns. His coach, Brian Kelly, praised his performance in that tough game. Golson also had a great game against Navy on November 1, throwing for 315 yards and three touchdowns in a 49–39 win. On November 15, he had a big day against Northwestern, rushing for 78 yards and throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime loss.

During the 2014 season, Golson had some struggles with fumbles and interceptions. However, the team's defense also faced many injuries, which affected their overall performance.

Transferring to Florida State: 2015 Season

On May 7, 2015, Golson announced he would transfer from Notre Dame. He considered about 10 schools, including Florida State, Alabama, South Carolina, and UCLA. On May 19, he decided to transfer to Florida State for his final year of college football.

Playing for the Seminoles

Golson became the starting quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles in his last college season. He helped the Seminoles start the year with a 6–0 record. By October 18, 2015, they were ranked No. 9 nationally. Golson and teammate Sean Maguire both played quarterback and helped FSU finish the season with a 10–3 record and a No. 14 ranking. Golson started eight games, but his season was cut short due to a concussion. He suffered this injury in a 22–16 loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on October 25.

He started the season strong on September 5 with a 59–16 win over Texas State. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns without any turnovers.

Florida State won their second game on September 12, beating South Florida 34–14. Golson managed the game well, and running back Dalvin Cook had an amazing 266 rushing yards. Golson's stats were modest (14 of 26 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown), but he had no turnovers, which helped FSU win.

Florida State continued to win with Golson as quarterback, beating Boston College (14–0), Wake Forest (24–16), and Miami-Fla. (29–24). These wins set up a big game against Louisville on October 17.

In the Boston College game on September 18, Golson completed 15 of 24 passes for 110 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown pass. Two weeks later, against Wake Forest, he threw for 202 yards and a touchdown.

Golson's most notable win in 2015 came against rival Miami on October 3. He threw for 291 yards and a 36-yard touchdown pass. Dalvin Cook's 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter sealed the 29–24 win for Florida State.

On October 10, 2015, Florida State defeated Louisville 41–21, reaching a 6–0 record. Golson had his best game of the season, throwing for a season-high 372 yards and three touchdowns.

However, Florida State's hopes for a National Championship took a hit on October 24 when they played the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Golson played well, throwing for 210 yards, but he did not score any touchdowns. In the final seconds of the game, Georgia Tech blocked Florida State's field goal attempt and ran it back for the game-winning touchdown.

After this game, Golson suffered a concussion. Coach Jimbo Fisher rested him for the next two weeks. Redshirt junior Sean Maguire took over as Florida State's main quarterback for the rest of the season.

Golson returned to play on November 14 against North Carolina State. He started the game but struggled, throwing two interceptions. Maguire came in and led Florida State to a 34–17 comeback win. Golson's final college start ended in a victory.

In his remaining games, Golson only played briefly in a big win over the UTC Mocs. He threw for 67 yards in that game. Golson was unable to attend Florida State's Peach Bowl game due to a death in his family.

College Statistics

Professional Career

Everett Golson was not chosen in the 2016 NFL draft. He tried out for the Indianapolis Colts' rookie camp but was not offered a contract. The next week, he also tried out for the Philadelphia Eagles' rookie camp.

In June 2016, Golson was signed to the practice team of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL (Canadian Football League). He was later moved to their active roster, meaning he could play in games. He became a free agent after the 2017 CFL season, which means he was free to sign with any team.