UPDATE: QB Malik Zaire officially a Gator

[URGatorBait]

How am I supposed to tell the difference with a helmet on?

 

[NVGator]

Here's our luck...

The rule changes. Zaire transfers here. Practices his tail off due to maturing up and realizing he has a shot. Trots out as the starter week 1 against Meatchicken. Blows out his knee on the first play. We're stuck arguing another entire season about injuries and making excuses for Butters.

 

[NavetG8r]

Here's our luck...

The rule changes. Zaire transfers here. Practices his tail off due to maturing up and realizing he has a shot. Trots out as the starter week 1 against Meatchicken. Blows out his knee on the first play. We're stuck arguing another entire season about injuries and making excuses for Butters.

 

[GatorInKnox]

Just putting poor freshmen QBs on the field doesn't make them any better.

Yea. When has experience ever helped anyone? Especially a QB.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Yea. When has experience ever helped anyone? Especially a QB.

It's a lack of talent problem, not a head problem.

 

[GatorInKnox]

It's a lack of talent problem, not a head problem.

For LDR and Jake Allen, sure. Franks has plenty of talent. Even Trask has enough raw talent to be a decent to good QB but he has no effing clue what to do with the football when it isn't a route on air.

 

[TLB]

FIFY. Zaire won't even know the playbook. Not much doubt in my mind that Butters won't start him until October at the earliest if LDR is dressed.

Those on the roster today lack either talent (LDR, Trask?), or experience (everyone else), or both. If I compare Zaire, an experienced transfer, with the roster, I'm betting the coaches taken someone that can execute a play (ANY play) over what's on the roster today. Knowing the playbook is a plus, but I'm not confident the current roster knows the playbook (other than LDR who has had over 2 yrs to learn it), or that the plays they know can be executed by them (all the dumbing down of the play calling). If Zaire can learn 25% of the playbook by August, and already has both experience at D1 level and any kind of ability....he's got the starting position locked down.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Well QB is to a great extent a confidence position. Sure as with any position, you need talent, but you also need confidence in yourself and your teammates having confidence in you.

When you bring in graduate transfers year after year, you are saying to your young QBs that you do not have enough confidence in them. If Zaire comes in, I would not be surprised if Franks transfers ala Hester in basketball after White brought in a transfer at his spot a year ago.

 

[Wuerffel4Pres]

Well QB is to a great extent a confidence position. Sure as with any position, you need talent, but you also need confidence in yourself and your teammates having confidence in you.

When you bring in graduate transfers year after year, you are saying to your young QBs that you do not have enough confidence in them. If Zaire comes in, I would not be surprised if Franks transfers ala Hester in basketball after White brought in a transfer at his spot a year ago.

Thank you!

 

[Gator Fever]

Well QB is to a great extent a confidence position. Sure as with any position, you need talent, but you also need confidence in yourself and your teammates having confidence in you.

When you bring in graduate transfers year after year, you are saying to your young QBs that you do not have enough confidence in them. If Zaire comes in, I would not be surprised if Franks transfers ala Hester in basketball after White brought in a transfer at his spot a year ago.

https://events.tbo.com/blogs/gators/how-serious-are-the-malik-zaire-florida-gators-rumors/2320213

After the spring game, coach Jim McElwain was asked about the importance of developing a young quarterback. His response: "Being able to develop a guy is something that we've been fortunate to do a lot at stops along the way. And yet at the same time, we've got to go with who's going to give us the best opportunity to win ball games. At the end of the day, that's what we've got to do, is win ball games."
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Mac is probably saying that. After watching Franks in practice it appears he has no real confidence in him right now. That is probably why he just let him throw mostly safe stuff against walk ons in the Spring game.

 

[MertzJay26]

How bout we just play the best guy and not worry about hurt feelings? That would be pretty neat.

 

[URGatorBait]

How bout we just play the best guy and not worry about hurt feelings? That would be pretty neat.

 

[MertzJay26]

 

[InstiGATOR1]

How bout we just play the best guy and not worry about hurt feelings? That would be pretty neat.

In general I favor a meritocracy too. The problem in college sports is that guys keep running out of eligibility so you need to have a constant pipeline of talent (not to mention some coaching too) coming in.

I am not saying that I am against Zaire. If fact, I am highly skeptical that Franks will or could be a good QB at UF. (I am prepared to be wrong and have been wrong in my evaluations of players from afar before.) It is just the failure to develop any of the QBs that have been recruited to UF, can only hurt UF in future QB recruiting. I certainly know that if I were recruiting against UF, I would use that against UF.

 

[MertzJay26]

In general I favor a meritocracy too. The problem in college sports is that guys keep running out of eligibility so you need to have a constant pipeline of talent (not to mention some coaching too) coming in.

I am not saying that I am against Zaire. If fact, I am highly skeptical that Franks will or could be a good QB at UF. (I am prepared to be wrong and have been wrong in my evaluations of players from afar before.) It is just the failure to develop any of the QBs that have been recruited to UF, can only hurt UF in future QB recruiting. I certainly know that if I were recruiting against UF, I would use that against UF.

What would help recruiting is if we had a pulse on offense. We gotta go with the guy who gives us the best chance, whether it's Zaire of Franks.

I get what you're saying, but if we stick with Franks for recruiting/development purposes and he sucks and our O continues to flutter, that right there will continue to hinder recruiting more than anything.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

What would help recruiting is if we had a pulse on offense. We gotta go with the guy who gives us the best chance, whether it's Zaire of Franks.

I get what you're saying, but if we stick with Franks for recruiting/development purposes and he sucks and our O continues to flutter, that right there will continue to hinder recruiting more than anything.

Yes, I agree the best thing for QB recruiting would be to have a decent offense QBed by someone this staff recruited and developed.

 

[rogdochar]

For magnetic recruiting, future recruits need to watch UF stomp opponents with dazzling offense, showing on TV our sideline guys laughing and jumping for joy. That is a visual message that settles deeper & firmer in the brains of football-loving player kids. More powerful pull than recruiters' spiels.

 

[Alagator]

Can'tDecideWhichTrainToRideJay26

There's a mom joke in there somewhere but I'm going to refrain

I won't...

#ran-a-train-onJaysMom26

#JaysMomcantDecide-so-she-rodethemALL26

#Take-a-rideinJaysMomsCaboose26

 

[Alagator]

There's a mom joke in there somewhere but I'm going to refrain :)

Yeah, you don't seem the type to stoop to those levels.

I won't...

#ran-a-train-onJaysMom26

#JaysMomcantDecide-so-she-rodethemALL26

#Take-a-rideinJaysMomsCaboose26

 

[Gator2222]

Malik Zaire Game Log

1 2014-08-30 Rice W 2 Rushes 58 Yards
2 2014-09-06 Michigan W 2 Rushes 9 Yards
3 2014-11-08 @ Arizona State L 1 Rush 6 Yards
4 2014-11-29 @ Southern California L 9 of 20 (45.0%) 170 Yards 0 TD 0 INT 116.4 QBR 6 Rushes 18 Yards 1TD
5 2014-12-30 N Louisiana State W 12 of 15 (80.0%) 96 Yards 1 TD 0 INT 155.8 QBR 22 Rushes 96 Yards 1 TD

6 2015-09-05 Texas W 19 of 22 (86.4%) 313 Yards 3 TD 0 INT 250.9 QBR 9 Rushes 16 Yards
7 2015-09-12 @ Virginia W 7 of 18 (38.9%) 115 Yards 1 TD 0 INT 110.9 QBR 10 Rushes 87 Yards

8 2016-09-04 @ Texas L 2 of 5 (40.0%) 23 Yards 0 TD 0 INT 78.6 QBR 3 Rushes 0 Yards
9 2016-09-10 Nevada W 4 of 9 (44.4%) 49 Yards 0 TD 0 INT 90.2 QBR 5 Rushes 5 Yards
10 2016-09-24 Duke L 2 Rushes -8 Yards
11 2016-10-08 @ North Carolina State L 1 Rush -1 Yards
12 2016-10-15 Stanford L 0 for 2 (0.0%) 0 Yards 3 Rushes 3 Yards
13 2016-11-12 N Army W 1 of 1 (100.0%) 6 Yards 150.4 QBR 6 Rushes 35 Yards
14 2016-11-19 Virginia Tech L 1 of 1 (100.0%) 14 Yards 217.6 QBR
15 2016-11-26 @ Southern California L 3 of 5 (60.0%) 30 Yards 1 TD 0 INT 176.4 QBR

Career Passing
15 Games 58 of 98 (59.2%) 816 Yards 8.3 YPA 6 TD 0 INT 149.3 QBR

Career Rushing
72 Rushes 324 Yards 4.5 Average 2 TD