Two weeks into the college football season the Ohio State Buckeyes find themselves with an interesting decision to make at the quarterback position, and not in regards of who to start. Dwayne Haskins is the clear-cut starter for OSU, but backup quarterback Tate Martell showed some serious flashes of playmaking ability in the teams 52-3 blowout over Rutgers.
If you’re wondering why you think you recognize the name of a backup quarterback who redshirted his freshman year that’s because Martell was one of the three quarterbacks on the inaugural season of the tv docu-series QB1, which follows three of the top-10 ranked high school quarterbacks in the country. The kid has serious potential and is undoubtedly a weapon OSU can use.
The problem, however, is that outside of Haskins and Martell, there isn’t a ton of talent at the quarterback spot so the risk of injury is a big concern.
However the Buckeyes choose to use Martell remains to be seen, but one thing that is certain is that Tate Martell has some serious game, and will likely find a way to get on the field, be it in special packages or in years to come. With that being said, here is some more information on the former high school phenom and hopeful future of the Buckeye offense:
High School Career: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)
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The unbeaten quarterback Tate Martell was one of the most prolific high school football players of all time. The U.S. Army All-American and five-star recruit led Bishop Gorman to three consecutive undefeated seasons, going 43-0 and winning three national championships in the process.
Compiling 7,507 passing yards, 113 touchdowns, and just 9 interceptions, along with 2,294 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns in his career, the Gatorade, MaxPreps, and USA Today National Player of the Year posted a senior year consisting of 2,362 passing yards 41 touchdowns and 1 interception along with 1,257 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns en route to his third straight national championship.
Then, Martell was set to head to Columbus.
College Career: Ohio State University
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Martell redshirted his freshman season but was constantly talked about for his play on the practice squad against the team’s number one defense. Now heading into week three of his second season, Martell is slotted as the backup to Dwayne Haskins, although he has managed to see significant playing time through the first two weeks.
Keep in mind, both games have been blowouts, and this will likely not be the case as the competition heightens up in weeks to come with games against TCU and Penn State approaching, but Martell has shown enough to make the coaches think. After struggling a bit in game one, completing only 3/4 passes for 33 yards, Martell stepped up big time in last week’s game against Rutgers.
Martell completed 10/10 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown, as well as leading the team with 95 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Again, while the Buckeyes have shown no signs of straying away from Haskins, you can’t help but be impressed with Martell’s play, enough to the point where the team may consider finding more ways to get him involved. Only time will tell how involved he will be, but at the end of the day, having a player as dynamic as Martell should only help the team, regardless of how he is used.
