SOUTH BEND—Everett Golson has officially come all the way back.To the surprise of essentially no one, Brian Kelly announced after practice Wednesday that the junior quarterback will be under center for the Fighting Irish’s season opener against Rice, having beaten out redshirt freshman Malik Zaire. Golson missed the entire 2013 season through academic suspension.”His spring practice and his leadership in the summer and camp here, he’s put himself in a position to get that opportunity,” Kelly said, per Blue and Gold Illustrated.As a redshirt freshman, Golson started 10 games for Notre Dame in its undefeated march to the 2012 BCS championship game, finishing the season with 2,405 passing yards, a 12-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 298 rushing yards.Golson told reporters he’d been informed of Kelly’s decision Monday.

“It’s an accomplishment knowing everything that has transpired,” he said.

Kelly said Zaire, the former four-star dual-threat quarterback from Dayton, Ohio, “wasn’t happy” with the decision, but that Kelly would have been “disappointed” if he had reacted differently.