Everett Golson, donning a garnet jersey with a white towel draped casually over his back, smiled as he slumped back in his cushy seat.

Cameras clicked and lights flashed while hands holding recorders made their way closer and closer to Golson's face."Everett, was it pass interference?" one reporter asked.The Florida State quarterback chuckled as he thought back to the last time he played in Doak Campbell Stadium. There was no need for the reporter to say more about the offensive pass interference call that erased what would have been a game-winning touchdown for a Notre Dame team led by Golson. The call that went FSU's way was season-changing and career-altering."The ref made the call, it's up for a lot of debate right now amongst the players," Golson said, still grinning. "But I'm here now."Golson made his first media appearance Sunday since coming to FSU this offseason from Notre Dame as a graduate transfer. With one year of eligibility remaining, Golson is hoping FSU will provide the proper support system as he looks to end his turbulent college career on a high note.A year ago, Golson nearly led the Irish to an upset victory at FSU during a matchup of two teams ranked inside the top 5. Instead, offensive pass interference was called, negating the score and eventually leading to a 31-27 victory for FSU.The Fighting Irish were 6-0 before facing Florida State and Golson was a Heisman candidate, but a downward spiral ensued after the loss. Notre Dame went 2-5 following the defeat and Golson was eventually benched after his penchant for turning the ball over got out of hand and coach Brian Kelly lost confidence in him.It is fair to ask whether Golson would be at FSU, competing with Sean Maguire to be the starting quarterback who replaces Jameis Winston, if that penalty wasn't called last October.Golson said the loss to FSU was far from the only reason Notre Dame imploded, but the memory of that contest still sticks with him. It is hard to get away from it, as Jalen Ramsey and other FSU defenders still debate with Golson whether a penalty should've been called."I'm just looking forward, I can't affect the past, the past is what it is," Golson said. "I'm just looking forward to being on the other side where you have all those fans screaming for you and just being part of that culture."Tallahassee, Fla., is a little hot for Golson, who is used to brisk falls in South Bend, Ind., but he said everything else has gone smoothly during his transition. Golson has apparently taken all the right steps to endear himself to his teammates as he acclimates to life at FSU."There's nothing special about the way they treat him, whether joking about him, clowning on him, whether he's clowning on them," said FSU coach Jimbo Fisher, who purposefully stayed away from Golson this offseason so he could bond with teammates without the presence of a coach. "The interaction is like he's one of the guys on the team. … It's happened much quicker that I even thought."Golson will use the next month of preseason camp to not just win over teammates, but to prove he's capable of being their leader. That is no easy feat given all the responsibilities Fisher places on a quarterback in his scheme, but the coach sees signs that point to Golson exhibiting the aptitude to fully grasp the offense in time for the regular season."I think I can for sure," Golson said when asked if he thought he could quickly learn FSU's notoriously complicated playbook. "A lot of people don't understand this, but there are similarities [to FSU's offense and Notre Dame's.] The biggest difference is terminology and understanding different philosophies and what they're really trying to do."Golson also learned about controversy during his time at Notre Dame. He helped the Fighting Irish get to the BCS title game during the 2012 season, was suspended for all of the next season for cheating on a test and then dealt with the fallout following the loss to FSU in 2014."I've been at every end of the spectrum," Golson said. "I think that's the stuff I can take now, I've learned and matured and now I'm really able to help other people who are going through that and try to benefit the team as much as possible."