Malik Zaire And DeShone Kizer On Maxwell Award Watch List
Two Notre Dame quarterbacks make the Maxwell Award Watch List.
This has happened before- so don’t freak out. While not a common practice, the Maxwell Award Watch List has two quarterbacks from the same team, and this time it is Notre Dame with Malik Zaire (a Maxwell Award Watch List candidate last year) and DeShone Kizer.
Last year, in fact, their were a pair of Ohio State quarterbacks that made this list in JT Barrett and Cardale Jones, and one could even throw in a THIRD quarterback for the Buckeyes if you include Braxton Miller, who was listed as a quarterback on the 2015 Maxwell Award Watch List.
This could confirm what a lot of people are saying about Notre Dame’s quarterback race this year. Many observers feel that the battle to become the starting quarterback at Notre Dame is all too familiar with the quarterback battle that Ohio State had last year. I’m not too sure how good of a comparison that is, or if is even a good comparison to have if you are a fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
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The old adage is that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. While that mostly refers to the taboo of playing and rotating two (or more) quarterbacks throughout the season and in the games, it could also apply to what Ohio State dealt with last year and what Notre Dame is about to handle this year.
It will all come down to how Brian Kelly wants this offense to do, and more importantly, who he ultimately trusts. Kelly has mentioned the Ohio State dilemma from 2015 before, and yes it is “a good problem to have,” but it can still be a major problem that isn’t so good if not handled properly.
While the Heisman is THE award for college football, perhaps the Maxwell Award is a better indicator of who really is the best player because a lot of the regional politics are swept aside. So, if you’re a Notre Dame fan, having both Kizer and Zaire on the Maxwell Award Watch List is an exciting thing.