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Florida Football: Malik Zaire is officially a Florida Gator

By Tanner Dennie

Oct 15, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (9) is pressured by Stanford Cardinal defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (66) in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Stanford won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (9) is pressured by Stanford Cardinal defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (66) in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Stanford won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire made his commitment to the Florida football program official and has enrolled in classes.

Most of Twitter erupted on Tuesday when former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire made his commitment to the Florida Gators official.

Though the six-foot quarterback adds to the much-needed depth at the quarterback position, Zaire could be the answer and the first option at quarterback come September 2nd when the Florida Gators head to Dallas to take on the Michigan Wolverines in the 2017 Advocare Classic at AT&T Stadium.

Zaire made his announcement official via Twitter, where he retweeted a video from the Bonus Sports Twitter account.

What is Florida Getting with Malik Zaire?

Versatility.

Zaire has the ability to deliver the ball from the pocket with poise, along with the ability to be mobile outside of the pocket.

The Ohio native doesn’t have a ton of game experience, but in 9 appearances with the Irish, Zaire completed 58 passes on 98 attempts (59%) for 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, also adding 324  yards and two touchdowns on the ground to his stat sheet.

Since Tim Tebow and the short-lived Will Grier days, Florida has had a huge question mark at the quarterback position, and with Zaire providing much-needed competition to the position, current Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks will be pushed to the limit, which is what fans in Gainesville want to see.

Franks took most of the reps with the first-team offense in the Spring, but never really pulled far ahead of Kyle Trask during the competition, which opens the door wide open for Zaire to walk in and prove that he can be the leader that the Gators need in order to be crowned SEC East Champions and make it to their third consecutive SEC Championship game.

This will be one of the most watched quarterback competitions to watch when Fall ball rolls around, but don’t expect Gators head coach Jim McElwain to name a starter or give much insight to the battle between to the two quarterbacks until week one.

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