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Florida Football: Gators showing strong interest in Malik Zaire

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 5, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (8) runs the ball as Texas Longhorns defensive end Naashon Hughes (40) pursues in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (8) runs the ball as Texas Longhorns defensive end Naashon Hughes (40) pursues in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Florida football could be looking to land a transfer quarterback like Notre Dame’s Malik Zaire this offseason.

Jim McElwain didn’t have the best options to start at quarterback in 2016, but Florida football still finished the season 9-4. The defense carried the load for the Gators, but the head coach is looking to change that for the 2017 campaign and may do so with a transfer.

Malik Zaire is one of the most sought-after transfer quarterbacks in recent memory and was once even a Heisman candidate a couple of years ago with Notre Dame. He suffered an injury and gave way to DeShone Kizer only to watch his former backup evolve into a first-round draft prospect.

Now that he’s entering his senior season, the grad transfer is looking for a new home where he could potential excel. Florida has plenty of weapons to surround whoever starts at quarterback next season, but Feleipe Franks is the presumed No. 1 guy.

The redshirt freshman was a highly-touted recruit in the 2016 class and he’s likely to beat out Luke Del Rio and Kyle Trask this spring. However, if Zaire transfers into the program, that could make things more complicated.

According to 247Sports, there is mutual interest between Zaire and the Gators. This is interesting because Zaire looked to be zeroing in on a decision.

Related Story: SEC Football: Top 10 players to watch this spring

If Zaire wants an opportunity to start and contend for a conference title, Florida is a good spot for him. Unfortunately, this might hurt the confidence of the quarterback-in-waiting (Franks). What will the Gators do?

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