Welcome to the Malik Zaire Era at Notre Dame

The statement within the statement said it all.When news hit that Everett Golson was departing South Bend for a program to be named later, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly wished him well. He applauded his efforts to leave the school with a degree, which is significant given Golson’s turbulent academic history with the program.

But right beneath all of that—right around the point Kelly could have stopped short of saying anything more—he ventured onward. He didn’t have to, but he did.

“We, of course, have approached our preparations for the upcoming season with this possibility in mind,” Kelly said in a statement relayed by Michael Bertsch, the Director of Football Media Relations at Notre…