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* The Wire: Fields decommits from Penn State
* Watnick: Zaire should bolster Florida’s depth at quarterback
* Ask the Expert: Notre Dame beat writer goes in-depth on Zaire
* SEC alters graduate transfer penalty, clearing way for Zaire to join Gators
* Florida picks up massive out-of-state offensive tackle
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Ever since the SEC changed its graduate transfer policy last Friday during its spring meetings, paving the way for Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire to join the Gators, a big question has been on every Gators fans’ mind.
Will Florida turn to a graduate transfer in Zaire, or rather a redshirt freshman in Feleipe Franks, as its starter this season?
It’s a debate that’ll continue into at least fall training camp, with Florida’s much-hyped season-opener against Michigan on Sept. 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, looming. However, not many of the quarterbacks on Florida’s current roster have a ton of starting experience. In fact, the only ones with any are Luke Del Rio (six starts) and Zaire (three), while Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask, Jake Allen and Kadarius Toney have never appeared in a college game.
With Franks pulling ahead of Trask and emerging as the leader in the clubhouse this spring, now with Zaire in the fold it remains to be seen who among the pack will earn the starting job in fall camp.
Although Franks has been with the program longer than Zaire, who will have just 10 weeks to learn Florida’s offensive system leading into the season-opener, Zaire has four years of the college level under his belt while Franks has just one. Franks hasn’t appeared in a collegiate contest after redshirting in 2016; Zaire made 17 appearances at Notre Dame, but primarily as a backup who attempted just 98 passes.
To get a better idea of which direction Florida could lean regarding its upcoming quarterback position, we took a closer look at the track records of both head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, regarding which quarterbacks they’ve chosen to start over the years.
