Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
QB transfer Zaire officially joins UF
GAINESVILLE — Quarterback graduate transfer Malik Zaire has officially joined the Florida Gators, confirming Tuesday what many have expected for weeks.
A post on Zaire’s Instagram read, “Official! I couldn’t be happier to be part of something special!!! Time to get to work!!! #Gators”
The 22-year-old can begin graduate classes and offseason conditioning when UF’s Summer B classes begin Monday.
Zaire will join a crowded quarterback room, but he immediately will move into the thick of the competition to become the team’s 2017 starter.
Zaire, a native of Kettering, Ohio, also confirmed his decision on his Twitter account, where he re-tweeted a post by the Ohio-based Bonus Sports that features a video of the quarterback in Gator gear.
The left-handed, dualthreat Zaire now must show he can handle a new offense in time for UF’s Sept. 2 opener against Michigan outside of Dallas.
Florida coach Jim McElwain said this spring coaches could tailor the Gators’ scheme to a player with more running ability than the current crop of signal callers.
Four of UF’s five current quarterbacks are pocket passers, led by redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks, who ended the spring the front-runner for the starting job..
“The best guy is going to play, whoever’s ready,” McElwain said. “I think we can adjust based on what we need to do.”
Zaire, who also considered Texas, Wisconsin and Harvard, has much to prove as a player following an uneven career at Notre Dame.
During his first college start, Zaire was named the MVP of the Music City Bowl in 2014 after leading the Irish to a victory over LSU.
He then opened the 2015 season as the starter but suffered a broken ankle against Virginia during the second game and eventually would lose his starting job to DeShone Kizer. Zaire was just 7-of-18 passing for 111 yards at the time of his injury, but he had rushed for 87 yards on 10 carries against the Cavaliers.
Zaire struggled during the 2016 opener, a 50-47 overtime loss to Texas that began a trying season for Notre Dame — the Fighting Irish finished 4-8. Zaire was 2-of-5 passing for 23 yards and failed to gain a yard on three carries.
Zaire attempted just 18 passes and 17 rushes the remainder of last season. He announced in November he would transfer from Notre Dame.