Malik Zaire is about to go on the open market.

According to a source, the senior quarterback will meet with head coach Brian Kelly on Wednesday morning, at which point Zaire should get his formal release from the University to pursue a graduate transfer. Zaire is on track to graduate in December with one season of eligibility remaining.

Irish Illustrated has learned that Florida, Pittsburgh, Michigan State and Wisconsin are the primary contenders for Zaire. With Notre Dame’s season complete, Zaire won’t have the conflict of bowl practices to prevent visits to other programs during the coming weeks.

In the end, Zaire’s Notre Dame career burn brightly but briefly when he started over Everett Golson in the Music City Bowl to end the 2014 season. Zaire won MVP honors of that game in leading Notre Dame’s upset of LSU.

When Golson transferred to Florida State the next off-season, Zaire took over the job fulltime and ran with it in that season’s opening night blowout of Texas. The former four-star recruit went 19-of-22 for 313 yards and three touchdowns in that 38-3 rout.

But the next week Zaire broke his ankle at Virginia, giving way to DeShone Kizer and never retaking the job. Despite Kelly’s insistence to play both quarterbacks this year, he stuck with Kizer after this year’s opening night loss at Texas. Zaire went 2-of-5 for 23 yards without leading a scoring drive in the 50-47 double overtime loss in Austin.

In the end, Zaire’s only start this season came as a wide receiver as Kelly struggled to work a player his once called one of the team’s best playmakers into the offense.

Ironically, the final pass of Zaire’s Notre Dame career was a touchdown last weekend at USC.