Florida Football: Malik Zaire reportedly chooses Gators, awaiting SEC rules change
According to reports, former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire has decided to join the Florida football program in 2017.
After months of deliberating and weighing his options, Notre Dame graduate transfer Malik Zaire has picked his next college destination. According to reports, he will be joining the Florida football program in 2017, pending an SEC rules change.
According to an SEC bylaw, the Gators were penalized for three years after accepting two grad transfers who didn’t meet academic requirements. That was in 2015, which means the Gators would be penalized through 2018, not being allowed to accept transfers.
Fortunately, the SEC is holding its annual meetings this week and there could be an instance in which the rule would be changed to allow Florida and head coach Jim McElwain to scoop up Zaire. He would be immediately eligible in 2017.
If he does, in fact, choose Florida in the end, the Gators will have one of the more experienced quarterbacks in the SEC and a guy who can produce right away, if healthy. Health, though, has been sporadic with him.
What does this mean for Feleipe Franks, though? Well, the highly-touted quarterback prospect from the 2016 class will have to wait at least one more year for his opportunity. Zaire didn’t want to pick a school where he’d have to play the role of backup, so McElwain must not have complete faith in Franks just yet.
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Moreover, Luke Del Rio will also likely be on the outside looking in for the next two years in the quarterback race. Could Franks surprise some people and win the job even with Zaire present? It’s possible.