The reaction to UNC’s interest in bringing in Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire for a visit has been all over the map. But most of the discussion is about the quarterbacks already at UNC, notably Nathan Elliott and Chazz Surratt, both of whom were/are expected to battle for the starting job if indeed Mitch Trubisky leaves for the NFL.
If Trubisky goes, that leaves UNC with just three scholarships QBs, and that’s just not enough. No staff would ever go into a season with just three on scholarship, and four overall if you include Manny Miles. So, they need another QB, and since all 11 they’ve offered in the class of 2017 have committed elsewhere, there aren’t a lot of viable options.
If they bring in a 3-star kid it could impact who they land from the class of 2018, and they are in pretty fair standing with several highly touted prospects in the junior class. Plus, a 3-star true freshmen would hardly give the program much depth, if any, during his first season in Chapel Hill.
So, if nothing else, Zaire would add needed depth, and being a senior, his presence shouldn’t ruffle any of the younger feathers. Of course, the key word there is “shouldn’t,” but it likely will and may already have by the mere fact he will visit this week. Some of that is just human nature.
But those players have to view the situation through a broad lens, one that dates back to this past July, which is just five months ago. At that time, few expected Trubisky to blow up as he did and head for the NFL and few expected Caleb Henderson to transfer, either. In them, you had a starter with pro potential backed up by a former 4-star, Elite 11 guy.
So, if you’re Nathan Elliott, Chazz Surratt and Logan Byrd, bringing in Zaire really doesn’t change the landscape much from the way it was in July. If Trubisky quickly became an NFL player, which some in the program thought was possible this season, Henderson entering his fourth season would be waiting in the wings as the starter. Or so it seemed at the time.
So, fast forward to the first week of December, and instead of Trubisky returning as the incumbent and Henderson next in line, Elliott, Surratt and Byrd only have to deal with Zaire now. And it’s not like he’s coming in having proven anything.
A 4-star prospect in the class of 2013 from Kettering, OH, Zaire has played sparingly at Notre Dame. In three seasons, he completed 58 of 98 pass attempts (59.2 percent) for 816 yards, 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also ran the ball 72 times for 324 yards (4.5 average) and for 2 touchdowns.
On the high end, he plays to his potential and is an excellent one-year player for the Tar Heels. On the low end, he provides needed competition for the job, gets a chance and it doesn’t work out for him personally one of the three current Tar Heels wins the job. And at least the program has some depth in case something happens to the starter.
This possibility has alarmed some people, but it shouldn’t. The program comes first, and regardless of how this works out, the staff bringing in Zaire is a smart move for Carolina football, even if he ends up elsewhere.
If Trubisky goes, that leaves UNC with just three scholarships QBs, and that’s just not enough. No staff would ever go into a season with just three on scholarship, and four overall if you include Manny Miles. So, they need another QB, and since all 11 they’ve offered in the class of 2017 have committed elsewhere, there aren’t a lot of viable options.
If they bring in a 3-star kid it could impact who they land from the class of 2018, and they are in pretty fair standing with several highly touted prospects in the junior class. Plus, a 3-star true freshmen would hardly give the program much depth, if any, during his first season in Chapel Hill.
So, if nothing else, Zaire would add needed depth, and being a senior, his presence shouldn’t ruffle any of the younger feathers. Of course, the key word there is “shouldn’t,” but it likely will and may already have by the mere fact he will visit this week. Some of that is just human nature.
But those players have to view the situation through a broad lens, one that dates back to this past July, which is just five months ago. At that time, few expected Trubisky to blow up as he did and head for the NFL and few expected Caleb Henderson to transfer, either. In them, you had a starter with pro potential backed up by a former 4-star, Elite 11 guy.
So, if you’re Nathan Elliott, Chazz Surratt and Logan Byrd, bringing in Zaire really doesn’t change the landscape much from the way it was in July. If Trubisky quickly became an NFL player, which some in the program thought was possible this season, Henderson entering his fourth season would be waiting in the wings as the starter. Or so it seemed at the time.
So, fast forward to the first week of December, and instead of Trubisky returning as the incumbent and Henderson next in line, Elliott, Surratt and Byrd only have to deal with Zaire now. And it’s not like he’s coming in having proven anything.
A 4-star prospect in the class of 2013 from Kettering, OH, Zaire has played sparingly at Notre Dame. In three seasons, he completed 58 of 98 pass attempts (59.2 percent) for 816 yards, 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also ran the ball 72 times for 324 yards (4.5 average) and for 2 touchdowns.
On the high end, he plays to his potential and is an excellent one-year player for the Tar Heels. On the low end, he provides needed competition for the job, gets a chance and it doesn’t work out for him personally one of the three current Tar Heels wins the job. And at least the program has some depth in case something happens to the starter.
This possibility has alarmed some people, but it shouldn’t. The program comes first, and regardless of how this works out, the staff bringing in Zaire is a smart move for Carolina football, even if he ends up elsewhere.
