Former Notre Dame QB Malik Zaire to transfer to Florida
Former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire has announced his intention to transfer to Florida.
The decision was first reported by FOX Sports and 247sports.
"You just want to be able to be a part of something special," Zaire told 247Sports. "You're playing in basically like a minor league from the league. For me, I didn't want the challenge to disippate at the end of the day. Coming from Notre Dame, you're playing top games every week, and I wanted to continue that trend. I didn't want to run from the challenge, I wanted to embrace the challenge."
Zaire will join the Gators as a graduate transfer. The transfer process could be finalized as early as Wednesday, when he visits the campus. The news comes just after the SEC decided to relax its graduate transfer process.
He joins a quarterback core with Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask and Luke Del Rio.
• How many wins does Brian Kelly need to save his job?
Zaire was also considering Wisconsin, Harvard, Texas and North Carolina.
Zaire was the Irish's starter for the 2015 season before injuring his ankle against Virginia in the second game of the season. DeShone Kizer took over the starting job for the remainder of the season and for a majority of the 2016 season. The Irish struggled and finished 4–8, while Zaire finished with just 122 yards passing and one touchdown.He announced his decision to transfer in November.
The Gators will open the season on September 2 against Michigan.
