Everett Golson named Notre Dame's starting quarterback

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly on Thursday named redshirt freshman Everett Golson the starting QB for the Irish's season opener, on Sept. 1 against Navy in Dublin.

"Everett is the starter. If things go the way were planning it, he'd play the whole game," Kelly said. "I don't think you go in any year and think, Boy, I want to make a change at halftime. You want to be able to stick with a guy and build continuity."

Golson beat out junior incumbent Tommy Rees (16 career starts) and sophomore Andrew Hendrix (five career appearances). A South Carolina native who originally committed to North Carolina, Golson is the best combination of run and pass among the three. As Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune writes: "His big arm and nimble feet make him the ideal candidate to run and maximize Kelly's spread offense."