Why Malik Zaire Should Start for Notre Dame
By Ben Belden
All Malik Zaire has done in his time at Notre Dame is succeed. When the Irish offense takes the field in Austin, Texas to face the longhorns on September 4th, Zaire should be leading them.
After the Fighting Irish started the 2014 season 6-0, they fell apart, finishing the year losing 5 of the last 6 games. Injuries played a large part of the Irish’s tailspin, but so did the poor play of then-quarterback Everett Golson. Many called for Zaire to get his chance. If the Irish were going to struggle, they might as well struggle with the face of the future gaining valuable experience.
The lone bright spot of the second-half collapse of 2014 was Zaire’s promising play after replacing Golson in a 49-14 loss to the USC Trojans to finish the regular season. Zaire then started the Music City Bowl against the LSU Tigers, splitting time with Golson. Even with little game experience, Zaire showed the ability to move the football against a premier defense. Notre Dame won the game 31-28. Irish fans were excited for the quarterback battle that would ensue in the next season.
However, there was no quarterback battle at all. Why? Because Golson felt the pressure of a very talented, up-and-coming Zaire who was about to take his starting spot. Having received his degree, Golson exercised his graduate transfer rights and moved on to Florida State.
At the beginning of the 2015 season, Zaire was so clearly the best quarterback on the roster that Deshone Kizer was not even given a chance to compete for the starting job. The moment Golson transferred, Zaire became the starting quarterback, which should tell Notre Dame fans all they need to know about his talents. Brian Kelly had no qualms about Zaire’s ability to lead the offense.
Zaire lit up a vulnerable Texas defense and led the Irish into his first true road game as a starter against the Virginia Cavaliers. Despite the offense’s struggles throughout the first half (the Irish’s only scores came on a faked field goal and two more field goals by kicker Justin Yoon), Zaire came out of the second half blazing. Midway through the 3rd quarter, Zaire hit Will Fuller in stride for a 59-yard touchdown to put the Irish in the lead 19-14.
On his next possession, however, Zaire’s season was ended abruptly when he broke his ankle on a designed quarterback run play.
Despite the fact that CJ Prosise scored on the next play after Zaire’s injury, the Irish had the wind taken out of their sails. It was Zaire who was leading a resurgent Irish offense after struggling in the first half and it was Zaire’s injury that played a major part in the Irish even needing Kizer and Fuller’s late-game heroics in the first place.
Nothing should be taken away from what Kizer did at the helm of the Irish, but it should be noted that Kizer had plenty of help from a talented supporting cast. Behind the help of a talented offensive line, Notre Dame ran the ball for over 3,000 yards in 2015 at a clip of 5.6 yards per carry. Kizer’s job was to manage the offense and avoid mistakes. To his credit, he excelled in this role and even emerged as a playmaker in games against USC and Stanford. Zaire, however, brought an explosiveness to the Irish offense.
In 2016, the Irish figure to keep the ball on the ground a great deal behind an offensive line that Pro Football Focus ranked best in college football. If the Irish stick to that formula, Zaire is the clear choice at quarterback. Often likened to a quarterback in a running back’s body, Zaire has the ability to keep defenses off guard with his abilities to run the read option and move the pocket in passing situations. The misdirection Zaire will bring to an Irish offense that lost the likes of wide receiever Will Fuller (NFL) and promising tight end Alize Jones (academic suspension) will be critical to their success this season.
Next: Why DeShone Kizer Should Start for Notre Dame
The old adage is that one cannot lose a starting position because of injury. From the time he graduate high school a semester early to enroll early at Notre Dame, Malik Zaire has devoted himself to becoming a leader for the Irish. The quarterback position should be his spot to lose.