Championship Level? Notre Dame Football Quarterbacks

By Andrew Hall | May 1, 2015

Following the Blue-Gold Game, Notre Dame football fans entered the long wait without football activity until the Irish kickoff the season against Texas. Until September 5th, fans are left to debate the strengths and weaknesses of the team. In that vein, Slap the Sign will look at Notre Dame’s roster to determine which of its players are: Playoff, New Year’s Six, Bowl or Non-Bowl quality. Today, with 127 days until the opener, the Quarterbacks will take the center stage.

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Notre Dame like Ohio State has multiple Quarterbacks who are capable of starting. Even though Brian Kelly believes his pair is better than the Buckeye trio, Everett Golson and Malik Zaire have not won a national title. Golson started the 2012 National Championship Game.

Last year, Golson has completed 60.0% of his passes for 3445 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Zaire’s numbers are significantly lower because of his lack of experience. He completed 60% of his passes for 266 yards and 1 touchdown.

Here are significant players from each level:

Playoff Comparison: Marcus Mariota – 4454 yards, 68.3% completion, 42 touchdowns, 4 interceptions
New Year’s Six Comparison: Trevone Boykin – 3901 yards, 61.2% completion, 33 touchdowns, 10 interceptions
Bowl-Eligible Comparison: Cody Kessler – 3826, 69,7%, 39 touchdowns, 5 interceptions
Non-Bowl Comparison: Jared Goff – 3973 yards, 62.1% completion, 35 touchdowns, 7 interceptions

Many of these players possess better stats than Everett Golson. Golson only really played 11 full games so that could explain his lack of yardage. However, the interceptions are troubling. Turnovers are the only reason for debate between Zaire and Golson.

If Golson starts, he has the talent to take Notre Dame into the playoff. However, turnover concerns make him a bowl-eligible quality player. If Zaire starts, his experience holds him back and is also a bowl quality player.

Level: Bowl-Eligible