After the Fighting Irish started the 2014 season 6-0, they fell apart, finishing the year losing 5 of the last 6 games. Injuries played a large part of the Irish’s tailspin, but so did the poor play of then-quarterback Everett Golson. Many called for Zaire to get his chance. If the Irish were going to struggle, they might as well struggle with the face of the future gaining valuable experience.
The lone bright spot of the second-half collapse of 2014 was Zaire’s promising play after replacing Golson in a 49-14 loss to the USC Trojans to finish the regular season.