Everett Golson facts for kids

Everett Demone Golson, born on January 2, 1993, is a former American professional football quarterback. He played quarterback for the Notre Dame college team from 2011 to 2015. After graduating from Notre Dame, Golson decided to transfer to Florida State for his final college season.

Early Life and High School Sports

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

At Myrtle Beach High School, Everett was a star athlete. He threw 151 touchdown passes for the football team. He helped his team win the AAA state championships in 2008 and 2010.

Everett also played point guard for the basketball team. He helped them win a state championship in 2008. He was even named to the all-state team for basketball.

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

College Football Career

Playing for Notre Dame

2011 Season: Starting Out

During the 2011 season, Golson was a "redshirt" player. This means he practiced with the team but did not play in games. This allowed him to gain experience without using a year of his college playing eligibility. The team's main quarterback, Tommy Rees, led Notre Dame to an 8–5 record that year.

2012 Season: Reaching the National Title Game

In the 2012 season, Golson became the starting quarterback. He led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish all the way to the National Title game. They played against the Alabama Crimson Tide for the championship.

Academic Break from Notre Dame

In May 2013, Golson was not able to attend Notre Dame. This was due to not following academic rules. Notre Dame officials explained that he was not enrolled at the university.

After missing the entire 2013 season, Golson was allowed back at Notre Dame. He returned on December 13, 2013. He could not practice or travel with the team for their bowl game. Golson later explained that he had not followed academic rules.

2014 Season: Strong Start and Challenges

The 2014 Fighting Irish team had a great start. They won their first six games. By October 12, they were ranked No. 5 in the country. Early wins included games against Rice (49–17) and Michigan (31–0). They also beat Purdue (30–14) and Syracuse (31–15).

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

Notre Dame then won a high-scoring game against North Carolina (50–43). A week later, they lost to No. 2 ranked Florida State, 31–27.

After the Florida State game, Notre Dame struggled. They won only one of their next four games. Golson was even replaced by his backup, Malik Zaire, in a big loss to rival USC.

The season ended with the Music City Bowl. Golson and Zaire both played quarterback in a shared plan. The Irish beat LSU 31–28 in a close game. Golson threw for 90 yards, and Zaire threw for 96 yards and ran for 96 more.

Golson had some impressive games in 2014. Against Rice on August 30, he threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns. The next week, he had 226 passing yards and three touchdowns against Michigan. On September 13, he threw for 259 yards and two scores against Purdue. He also led the team in rushing with 56 yards.

Against Syracuse on September 27, Golson set a Notre Dame record. He completed 25 passes in a row. He threw for 362 yards and four touchdowns in that game.

In the close loss to Florida State, Golson threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns. Coach Brian Kelly praised his performance. He called Golson "terrific" after the tough road game.

Other strong games included a 315-yard passing effort at Navy. He threw for three touchdowns in a 49–39 win on November 1. On November 15, he had a big day against Northwestern. He ran for a 61-yard touchdown early in the game. He finished with 78 rushing yards and 287 passing yards with three touchdowns.

During the 2014 season, Golson had some fumbles and interceptions. The Irish defense also had many injuries. This made it harder for the team to recover.

2015 Season: Transferring to Florida State

On May 7, Golson announced he would transfer from Notre Dame. He was looking for a new team for his final year of college eligibility. Some of the schools he considered were Florida State, Alabama, and UCLA. On May 19, he chose to transfer to Florida State.

Playing for Florida State

Football Season with Florida State

Golson became the starting quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles. He led the team to a 6–0 start. By October 18, 2015, they were ranked No. 9 nationally. Golson and fellow quarterback Sean Maguire helped FSU finish with a 10–3 record. They ended the season ranked No. 14.

Golson started eight games that season. His playing time was reduced because of a concussion. He suffered this injury in a 22–16 loss to Georgia Tech on October 25.

He started the season strong with a 59–16 win over Texas State. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns. He had no turnovers in that game.

Florida State won its second game 34–14 against South Florida. Golson played a steady game. Running back Dalvin Cook had an amazing 266 rushing yards in the victory. Golson's stats were modest, but he had no turnovers.

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

In the Boston College game, Golson completed 15 of 24 passes for 110 yards. He threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Travis Rudolph. Two weeks later, against Wake Forest, he had 202 passing yards and a touchdown.

Golson's most notable win of 2015 was against rival Miami on October 3. He threw for 291 yards and a 36-yard touchdown pass to Dalvin Cook. Miami took a late lead, but Cook sealed the 29–24 win for FSU. He broke loose for a 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Florida State reached its highest point of the season at 6–0. They beat Louisville 41–21 on October 10, 2015. Golson had his best game of the season. He threw for a season-high 372 yards and three touchdowns.

The team's hopes for a National Championship changed after a game in Atlanta. Florida State faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on October 24. Golson played well, throwing for 210 yards. However, he did not score any touchdowns. Georgia Tech tied the game late. FSU tried a long field goal, but it was blocked. Georgia Tech then ran the ball back for the game-winning score.

Golson suffered a concussion in the Georgia Tech game. Coach Jimbo Fisher rested him for the next two weeks. This meant Golson missed games against Syracuse and No. 2 Clemson.

After the loss to Clemson, Sean Maguire became Florida State's main quarterback. Coach Fisher was looking ahead to the 2016 season.

Golson returned to play on November 14 against North Carolina State. He started the game, but FSU fell behind early. Golson completed 5 of 9 passes for 52 yards and had two interceptions. Maguire replaced him and led FSU to a 34–17 comeback win. This was Golson's final college start.

In his remaining games, Golson only played briefly in a big win over 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 Football Career

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

In June 2016, he signed with 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.