QB Golson no longer enrolled at Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Quarterback Everett Golson is no longer enrolled at Notre Dame.

University spokesman Dennis Brown said Saturday night that Golson, who had three years of eligibility left after not playing as a freshman, was no longer enrolled at Notre Dame as of Friday. Brown says he couldn’t comment on why because of federal privacy laws.

Golson helped lead the Fighting Irish to an undefeated regular season and the BCS title game last season as a first-time starter.

The departure leaves a major question mark at a position where coach Brian Kelly was expecting to see major improvement in an offense that struggled for much of last season, with the Irish finishing 54th in the nation in total offense, including 71st in passing offense. The most likely replacement is Tommy Rees, the 2011 starter who came in to play key roles in victories over Purdue, Michigan, Stanford and Brigham Young when Golson either struggled or was injured.

But Rees lacks the mobility that Kelly likes and struggled with turnovers as a starter two seasons ago. The other possibilities are senior Andrew Hendrix, who has seen limited action but is more mobile than Rees and has two seasons of eligibility left, and freshman Malik Zaire.