Irish quarterback Everett Golson expected to play vs. BYU

Notre Dame, IN, United States (4E Sports) – Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly expects starting quarterback Everett Golson to play Saturday when the Fighting Irish take on BYU.

Two days after suffering a concussion in a win over Stanford, Golson missed practice Tuesday after failing to pass cognitive testing Monday but Kelly expects him to hurdle another round of testing.

“First of all, there’s a balance test, which he passed,” Kelly said. “There’s also just an exam that he’s passed. Then there are symptoms: Whether it’s sensitivity, agitation, light sensitivity — all those things he’s passed.”

“Then there’s a computer test, a cognitive test that he has to pass. He’ll take that again today. Once he does that he’ll be allowed to go back to practice,” added Kelly.

Kelly said there are several medical protocols and standards to be followed to ensure a player’s safety before taking the field.

“They are independent of the head football coach. This is strictly on our medical staff. They make all of those decisions, and they come to me and tell me when he’s ready to go,” Kelly explained.

Kelly said Golson could still be ready to help the team Saturday even if he does not practice Wednesday but did not clarify if that includes starting.

“I would say that if Everett Golson was a guy that you knew, you would know when he’s ready,” Kelly said. “When he’s smiling and bouncing around — we’re seeing that yesterday and today, so we’re seeing great progress.”

For the meantime, Kelly said quarterbacks Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix will split reps Tuesday on a roughly 60-40 basis.

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