Florida Football: 5 reasons why Malik Zaire isn't guaranteed to start

Florida football added a major piece to its 2017 puzzle, but why isn't Malik Zaire guaranteed to start for the Gators?

If there's one position that Florida football could afford to upgrade after years of mediocrity, it's the quarterback. Ever since Will Grier began the 2015 for the Gators with a 6-0 mark before getting suspended for the remainder of the season, Florida's quarterback situation has been dire.

That was until recently when the Gators landed Notre Dame grad transfer Malik Zaire. After month of deliberating and an SEC rules change, the former highly-touted recruit who was once the starter for the Fighting Irish has decided to finish his career in The Swamp.

Jim McElwain recruited Zaire to Gainesville over the past couple of months and he made the decision official over the weekend. The long wait is over and Zaire can officially join his new team on Wednesday.

While it seems like Zaire is the clear option to start for the Gators in 2017, which may have been promised to him, it shouldn't be looked at as a sure thing.

Here's why Zaire isn't guaranteed the starting job in 2017.

5. Injury concerns

Sep 12, 2015; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (8) is looked at by team medical staff after he was injured on a play in the third quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

It's not so much the fact that Malik Zaire broke his ankle during the second game of the 2015 season, but the fact that he didn't quite have the confidence the following year to win back his starting job from DeShone Kizer.

Will his ankle be fully-healed while playing for Florida in 2017? Absolutely, but it will always be in the back of his mind whenever his gets hit low if his ankle will hold up. That can cause any player to act passively and not fully have confidence in his own body to hold up under those circumstances.

The injury concerns are mostly in his head and that inability to trust himself could change his game drastically from what the Gators believed they were getting. Can he shake it off and get back to the late-2014, early-2015 version of himself?

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Jan 2, 2017; Tampa , FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain high fives linebacker Vosean Joseph (11) against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

4. Short amount of time to learn the playbook

Learning an entire playbook in just a couple of months won't be easy. You ever wonder why true freshmen don't often play right away? It's because the playbook is so vast and they only have a short amount of time to master every route, fake, option, handoff and counter. Basically it's like learning a new language in just a couple of months.

For Zaire, he will have to ditch the Notre Dame playbook that's currently instilled in his brain and make room for the Gators'. While it's not exactly the toughest task you could ask a grad transfer to accomplish, it's still not going to be easy for a new quarterback.

People don't realize what these kids are expected to know in just a short amount of time. For the past four years, Zaire has been pounding Notre Dame plays into his brain and now he's going to be asked to ditch that knowledge for an entirely different set of plays.

If he can't get everything down pat by the time the season starts, other quarterbacks who have been in the system could set themselves apart.

Zaire must be a master of the playbook in order to win that starting job.

Apr 7, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Jordan Scarlett (25) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown during the orange and blue debut at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

3. Chemistry takes time

There's something to be said about a team that grows together for years. It's tough for a new guy to come in and take the reigns while still earning the respect of his teammates. That's the position that Zaire will soon find himself in.

Although he has the talent to be the top option for the Gators this fall, he has to earn the respect of his teammates while developing a connection with the new receivers. That's not going to be easy, especially with the other quarterbacks that have been on the roster for a couple of years now.

Look at it this way: if you were to get a new job in an office where the same employees have been together for multiple years and the boss asks you to be the manager, what kind of welcome would you get? Sure, college kids are accepting, but you have to realize that not everyone is going to be on board with an out-of-house player coming in to take the reigns of the most important position.

While Zaire may have the talent and the personality to win people over, it will take time. If he doesn't develop the right connections before the season begins, he may find himself No. 2 on the depth chart, fighting for reps.

Sep 5, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (8) throws a pass against the Texas Longhorns at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

2. Malik Zaire is unproven

I know what you're thinking already, "But hasn't Malik Zaire started for a major college program already?"

The answer? Yes, he has. He was 2-0 in his first full season as a starter and looked like a true Heisman candidate during his first career start against Texas in 2015. He passed for 313 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-22 completions while beating the Longhorns 38-3.

After that start, the Heisman hype train was just getting started. However, he struggled in the next game, starting out just 7-for-18 for 115 yards and a touchdown at Virginia, on the verge of an upset loss. Then he got injured. This was the major injury that ended his season and it came in Week 2.

All-in-all he attempted just 40 passes in 2015. He completed just 11-of-23 before losing snaps, for good, to DeShone Kizer in 2016 as it was obvious he hadn't completely regained his confidence after the injury.

Throughout his Notre Dame career, he attempted just 98 passes and accounted for 816 yards and six touchdowns. That's not exactly the stat line of a proven, guaranteed starter.

Apr 7, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks (13) warms up prior to the orange and blue debut at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

1. Feleipe Franks stands in the way

While Luke Del Rio is still part of the team and could play a role in the quarterback competition, I don't think there's anyone who believes that Feleipe Franks will be the third option. In fact, many believe he could have been the starter had it not been for the transfer of Zaire.

However, this should be even more motivation for the young quarterback to prove himself as the top option under center for 2017.

What do you do when your head coach who recruited you to be the next big star at quarterback brings in a grad transfer at the last minute? You prove him wrong and win that starting job. Franks could do just that.

No disrespect to Zaire, because he was a great get for Florida, but Franks could be the guy to turn things around in Gainesville, quarterback-wise. Florida hasn't quite had luck in that department for some time and if McElwain wants to change that long-term, Franks is the answer.

The former No. 54 recruit in the nation will give Zaire a run for his money and if the Notre Dame transfer doesn't get the nod, you'll know who will gladly take the job.