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Malik Zaire expected to be released from Notre Dame football program on Wednesday

By Jack Crosby

Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (9) leaves the field after Texas defeated Notre Dame 50-47 in double overtime at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (9) leaves the field after Texas defeated Notre Dame 50-47 in double overtime at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame career of Malik Zaire is expected to officially come to a close on Wednesday, opening the door for him to move

There was once a time where Malik Zaire was expected to be the next great signal caller in Notre Dame Football history. However, things never really panned out that way and now he will apparently be on the move.

According to a report from Irish Illustrated on Scout.com, Zaire is expected to meet with Irish head coach Brian Kelly on Wednesday, at which time he will be able to seek a spot elsewhere at another Power 5 institution as a graduate transfer.

Now this is a move that most saw coming given the way things have played out the last two seasons, so maybe the most interesting part of the report from Scout is that there are already some front-runners for his services. It seems as if, right now, the Florida Gators, Pittsburgh Panthers, Michigan State Spartans and Wisconsin Badgers are right front and center for the former four-star recruit from Ohio.

Zaire was off to a spectacular start last season when he tore apart the Texas Longhorns in the opener. The next week, however, Zaire suffered a broken ankle, thrusting DeShone Kizer into the spotlight. Kizer had a phenomenal 2015 campaign for the Irish, leading to many questions coming into the 2016 season. Brian Kelly started off the year trying to utilize the two-quarterback system, but that didn’t come close to working out during this abysmal season for Notre Dame.

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The former top recruit finishes his career as a quarterback for Notre Dame having seen time in 15 games, throwing for 816 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed the ball 72 times for 324 yards and two scores.

Now, all eyes will turn to which program Zaire ends up with and whether or not he can finish his career off on the right track.

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