Malik Zaire comments on Florida’s ongoing quarterback battle
By Adam Spencer
Published:
One of the most important position battles across the entire SEC is happening in Gainesville, where the Florida Gators are trying to decide on a quarterback.
The competitors are Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire, returning starter Luke Del Rio (who was injured for a large portion of 2016) and redshirt freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask.
Zaire and Franks are considered to be the favorites by most people, but coach Jim McElwain hasn’t made any indication that he’s ready to name a starter yet.
Though not knowing what your role will be may make some players upset, Zaire told the Orlando Sentinel that he’s used to being involved in preseason battles:
“This is nothing new to me,” he said. “I’ve been in this situation for the last five years and I know that having all these options at quarterback is not always the best thing for the team. It would be nice, obviously, to be the guy. But at the end of the day, you just got to continue to do whatever it takes to help this team be the best.”
McElwain said there are still some things he wants to see from all the quarterbacks before he makes a decision about who will start against Michigan:
“It’s tough to say,” McElwain said. “We’ll take a look at how they handle another opportunity where no one’s on the field. It’s you executing the calls, handling the fastballs, getting guys in the right formations, understanding the snap counts, all those type of things.
“I think it goes back to putting in as many game-type situations as possible.”
The Gators and the Wolverines are set to play on Saturday, Sept. 2, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Florida fans may have to wait until then to see who takes the first snaps under center.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
