Florida Football: 3 reasons why Malik Zaire should be the Gators starting QB
After the announcement of former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire transferring to the Florida football program on Tuesday, he should be the starting QB.
With a giant question mark over the quarterback position for quite some time, Malik Zaire‘s arrival on campus could have just solved the whole situation.
The Florida offense was extremely mediocre with Luke Del Rio under center in 2016.
Freshman quarterbacks Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask weren’t able to separate themselves from one another in the Spring.
Here are three reasons why I believe Zaire should be the Gators starting quarterback for the 2017-2018 season.
More from Hail Florida Hail
- Florida football: Billy Napier disappointed in how Gators’ handling success
- Florida football: Gators’ defense ranks No. 2 in the country in vital stat
- Florida Football: Former target Cormani McClain struggling at Colorado
- Florida Football: The curious case of Kamari Wilson
- Florida Football: Gators know consistency is the next big step
Unfamiliarity with Zaire
There isn’t a lot of film on Zaire, and that could play into Florida’s favor if given the keys to the Florida Gator offense. After making 9 appearances with the Irish, there’s still not a lot to see how he could really factor in the Florida offense.
Jim McElwain has been called the “quarterback guru” by many people. Just imagine what McElwain and Gators Offensive Coordinator Doug Nussmeier could cook up with a guy not many people really know about.
On the other hand, this could be a huge risk and could hinder the development of the younger quarterbacks like Franks and Trask. This will be a risk that Jim McElwain will have to be willing to take for Florida’s success.
Versatility with play calling
From what we have seen of Zaire, we know he has the ability to sit back in the pocket and deliver the ball, along with having mobility in his arsenal.
When Zaire made his first career start against LSU in the 2014 Music City Bowl, he proved that he could throw the football to players in the right colored shirts, completing 12 passes in 15 attempts (80%) for 96 yards and a touchdown, adding on 96 more yards and a touchdown on the ground game.
When you watch him on the run, you can see his acceleration and ability to shake off tackles when contact is made. You can also see that he has zip on his passes, which is something very few quarterbacks have had at Florida.
Zaire wants to compete against the best
This is the type of person that you want on your roster.
For someone that doesn’t have much time left in a football uniform, Zaire could have easily taken another route and played where there isn’t a plethora of competition.
While at Notre Dame, the Irish faced teams like USC, Michigan, Texas, and Oklahoma.
Now that he’s at Florida, he will face the physicality and grueling SEC schedule.
With the likes of Michigan, Tennessee, LSU, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Florida State on the schedule in 2017, Zaire has a great opportunity to take full control of the offense and help carry the Gators to their third consecutive SEC East crown and SEC Championship appearance.