Malik Zaire likely headed to Florida as grad transfer
After a fairly prolonged graduate transfer process, Malik Zaire may finally have a landing spot for the 2017 season.
After falling behind DeShone Kizer on the depth chart early last season, Malik Zaire announced his intention to transfer from Notre Dame in November. He took visits to Wisconsin and North Carolina fairly quickly, as an immediately eligible for 2017 graduate transfer, but Texas, Florida and even Harvard have emerged as potential destinations for Zaire since then.
Texas was reportedly set to target Zaire back in March, but he wanted to push back his decision until formally graduating from Notre Dame. That time has come, and Zaire has reportedly made a decision.
Sources tell me former Irish QB Malik Zaire is telling people he has chosen Florida, is now just waiting for SEC to change transfer rules. https://t.co/byta4Mph34
— Alex Wilcox (@AlexWilcoxTV) May 28, 2017
Alex Wilcox of WNDU-TV reported Zaire has chosen Florida, pending the SEC changing its rule on grad transfers. That rule deals with academic standards and previous graduate transfers, and Florida had two graduate transfers that did not measure up to the school’s standards back in 2015. That put a three-year ban on Florida adding any grad transfers.
The conference is set to address the graduate transfer rule at spring meetings this week, and Zaire surely postponed his decision in order to keep Florida open as an option. The Gators have a fairly wide open competition for the starting job under center, with senior Luke Del Rio and two redshirt freshman (Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask) in the mix. Franks came out of spring practice as the front runner, and if Del Rio can recover adequately from surgery on both shoulders he is the most experienced option in place right now.
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Zaire would obviously be a bit behind in practice time to learn a new offense with the Gators. But any competition for the starting job will clearly include him during fall camp, and his experience in the bright lights playing at Notre Dame would equip him to handle a season-opening test against Michigan on Sept. 2. That prayer you hear is Tom Herman down in Austin, Texas, hoping the SEC keeps it’s current grad transfer restriction for another year.