Malik Zaire will play elsewhere next fall. That part hasn’t changed.

But the former Irish quarterback will practice nowhere this spring, delaying his graduate transfer decision until mid-April, then enrolling at his next stop for summer workouts, according to his father Imani Zaire.

That’s a change from earlier this month when Zaire had planned to enroll for spring football – likely at Wisconsin or North Carolina – after his December graduation and full release from Notre Dame. Instead, the quarterback will stay in Arizona this off-season to train with Dennis Gile, who has mentored the quarterback before, including last off-season following the Fiesta Bowl.

As for where Zaire lands, the delayed decision could open the door for an SEC option after he expressed early interest in Florida. The Gators reportedly cannot take a graduate transfer due to missed academic requirements of past ones, but SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters during the SEC Championship Game weekend that the league could change its stance.

If the SEC does not alter that position, Zaire could simply choose between Wisconsin and North Carolina this spring, with the Badgers considered the favorite based in part on the talent returning to Madison. The Tar Heels don’t officially have an opening at quarterback either, with potential first-round pick Mitch Trubisky not yet revealing his NFL decision. North Carolina faces Stanford in the Sun Bowl on Friday.

But even if Trubisky did bolt as expected, the Tar Heels will still lose three of their top four receivers and their top three offensive linemen this off-season.

Baylor had made a push for Zaire’s attention but has since been dropped from consideration.

While not enrolling for the spring semester would slow Zaire’s learning curve at either spot, it didn’t stop Everett Golson from winning the starting job at Florida State following his own summer enrollment two years ago.

Notre Dame has taken just two graduate transfers since the advent of the rule, with cornerback Cody Riggs and safety Avery Sebastian both enrolling during the summer. Riggs started throughout his one season in South Bend while healthy.