Less than two weeks after essentially guaranteeing that he would be Ohio State’s starting quarterback in 2019, redshirt freshman Tate Martell has put his name into the NCAA’s transfer portal. The system allows players to be contacted by other schools who could then become potential suitors. The news first appeared on Twitter via @SloppyBaseballs with the following screenshot. Appearing on the transfer portal does not mean a player is definitely going to transfer, but it certainly means they are weighing their options. The situation for Martell changed when Georgia freshman quarterback Justin Fields finalized his transfer to Ohio State last week. Despite being emphatic that a Fields transfer to Ohio State would not impact him, Martell appears to be ready to look around. “It doesn’t change anything for me,” Martell said at Rose Bowl media day. “I love my teammates and my teammates love me. They know that I’m one person that’s going to go out there and fight it out. That’s what I’ve always done and I have no problem doing it. I’ve been an underdog my whole life. I have no problem going out there and taking the job.” Martell doubled down by saying there is no way he would leave Ohio State without first competing for the job. “Why would I leave for somebody who hasn’t put a single second into this program yet?” he said. “I’ve put two years of working my ass off into something that I’ve been praying for and dreaming of my whole life. To just run from somebody that hasn’t put a single second into workouts or anything like that and doesn’t know what the program is all about, there’s not a chance.” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day knew the possibilities of something like this happening when he brought Fields in, which should give you some idea into how he feels about Fields and his potential in this offense. Martell completed 23-of-28 passes this past season for 269 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 128 yards on 22 attempts, scoring twice. Against Rutgers, Martell completed a school record 10-of-10 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. OSU is not confirming the news of Martell’s presence on the NCAA’s transfer portal, but his inclusion has been confirmed by others. His future, however, is still up in the air.<doc-sep>Dear college football fans: I’ve got a bit of a problem, and I’m hoping you’d be able to help me out. It involves the large increase in the number of players who are deciding to transfer at the end of the season, but it’s not the student-athletes I take issue with. Those kids can do as they please. My problem relates to the alarming percentage of fans that feel the need to chime in so negatively on a student-athlete’s decision to pursue other options. To narrow it down even further, there’s a specific group on complainants who are really beginning to bug me. It’s the “what happened to competition?” crowd that I’m really concerned with. That question — that criticism — has surfaced far too frequently as of late, and it’s really getting irritating. The most common use of this ridiculous critique has come in light of the Tate Martell situation with Ohio State. After claiming he was staying in Columbus to battle incoming Georgia quarterback Justin Fields for the starting job with the Buckeyes, Martell eventually decided to explore other opportunities. And on Tuesday night, he revealed that he was headed to Miami. “Martell is afraid of competition.” “He tucked his tail and turned his back on Ohio State.” “Things got rough, and now he’s crying foul.” Those were all statements made about Martell’s decision to transfer on social media. He was a kid who spent the last two seasons with the Buckeyes, hoping to one day be the starter at one of the most prestigious football powerhouses in the country. At the last second, Ryan Day was able to pluck Justin Fields away from Georgia, all but anointing the former 5-star gunslinger as the No. 1 option for 2019. You can’t fault Day for trying to improve at the quarterback position in an effort to field the best team possible in 2019 (no pun intended). And you can’t blame Martell for feeling betrayed, like all the effort he put in for two years was for nothing. You know what you can be faulted in this situation, though? Those comments about Martell’s lack of competitive spirit and loyalty. It’s just nonsensical. It’s also hypocritical. Imagine the situation involved your employment, and you might view things a little differently. What if you put in two years of hard work for a company with the assumption that, should you continue to do things the right way, that big promotion is yours to lose. Instead of turning to you when those 24 months pass, the boss decides to swipe an employee more well-suited for that promotion. All that work with no payoff. I won’t say everyone, but I’d image there are a lot of individuals who would be hopping on Indeed or LinkedIn, searching for another position. Maybe all that hard work will result in a better title and pay increase at another company, one who’s in desperate need of the skill-set you provide. Nobody would blame you for packing up your office and leaving for greener pastures. Not everyone has the same sort of loyalty Dwight Schrute shows to Dunder Mifflin, even after being passed up for that assistant regional manager position multiple times. Why, then, do we put that burden on student-athletes. I understand that sports and work are viewed through separate microscopes with different sets of rules. For some reason, college football players are expected to ignore every bit of adversity and embrace every challenge that comes their way. Some athletes, some people, are built that way. Others look to take advantage of different opportunities. Both mindsets are acceptable. We live in a different era of college football now. Transferring is going to become the new normal, especially at the quarterback position. You don’t have to necessarily agree with the way business is conducted, but you should probably get used to it. You should also respect the decisions these student-athletes make. After all, we also don’t know what the coaches are telling players on these recruiting visits. For all we know, Martell could’ve been promised a starting job at some point down the road, only to have it yanked away later. It’s unlikely but not impossible, especially in today’s cutthroat world of recruiting. Right or wrong, transferring is becoming a more prominent aspect of college football. Each offseason will turn into somewhat of a free agency period. There are going to be a lot of high-profile players changing schools. There’s nothing we can do to control it. What you can control, though, is your response to these decisions. Maybe it’s time to take a step back and think about what you would do in that exact same spot. You might not admit it, but there’s a lot of you who would make a similar decision. So, can we cut out the nonsense and stop criticizing players for making a decision that’s in their best interest? College football would be a much better place if we did — well, at least the social media aspect. And who knows, maybe your team will benefit from one of these choices somewhere down the road. Sincerely, Dustin.<doc-sep>Tate Martell is headed to Miami. One of college football's major free agent quarterbacks is officially off the market. Ohio State transfer Tate Martell announced late Tuesday that the University of Miami would be the next stop in his career, choosing the Hurricanes over West Virginia and Louisville, programs he visited over the weekend. Martell redshirted his first year in 2017 with the Buckeyes as the nation's No. 2-ranked dual-threat per the 247Sports Composite, but appeared in six games this past season behind Dwayne Haskins as the team's primary backup. He completed 23 of 28 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown and also carried the ball 22 times for 128 yards and two more scores. Diaz has made it clear ever since he took over for Mark Richt at Miami that he wants to add as much talent as possible at quarterback and create competition after the Hurricanes struggled mightily on offense in 2018. Martell will likely have to sit out the upcoming season, but could gain eligibility and compete right away with N'Kosi Perry and Jarren Williams for the Hurricanes' starting job if he receives a waiver through the NCAA. “It is going to get back to the way it was,” Diaz said after he was hired. “It is going to get back to Greentree Practice Field and winning out there. Playing college quarterback is tough, but playing at the University of Miami – you look at the great teams of the past and they weren’t winning with just an ok guy at quarterback. They were winning with big time guys. This was Quarterback-U for a long time. That is the straw that stirs the drink. We have to create the most competition at that spot." Here's some of the national reaction following Martell's announcement:<doc-sep>
Three days after former Georgia quarterback Justin Fields announced his transfer to Ohio State, former four-star QB Tate Martell entered his name into the transfer portal in search off a new program. Martell's search came to an end early Wednesday morning when he announced that he will continue his career at Miami. Martell, the No. 56 recruit in the nation back in 2017 as a dual-threat signal caller, completed 23-of-28 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown in backup duty this season, his first year active after taking a redshirt for his true freshman season in 2017. After backing up Dwayne Haskins in 2018, Martell expected to step into a starting role next season only to see new coach Ryan Day accept a transfer from Fields, who will reportedly seek a waiver with the NCAA to play immediately rather than sit out the NCAA-mandated year in residence. Though Martell previously said he would not transfer no matter who the Buckeyes brought in -- stating his confidence in his elite ability, knowledge of the system and ability to win a competition -- his tune changed quickly after the Fields move. As shown in the graphic, Martell will be reuniting with a couple of his former teammates from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas: Brevin Jordan and Bubba Bolden. Jordan committed to Miami out of high school, while Bolden just transferred from USC. Fields, a five-star prospect and the No. 2 player in the Class of 2018, left UGA after seeing Jake Fromm take command of the starting job this season. Moving to OSU has led to the quarterback carousel continuing with Martell heading down to South Florida. Due to him being an undergraduate seemingly without a waiver-worthy reason, Martell will be forced to sit out the 2019 season per NCAA rules. He will be cleared to play starting in 2020 as a redshirt junior with two years of eligibility remaining, three if he petitions the NCAA for a fifth year. However, Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports reports that Martell, in a move resembling Fields' transition to Ohio State, is "lawyering up" in an effort to receive immediate eligibility. Specifically, Martell is planning to use the Buckeyes' recent coaching change from Urban Meyer to Ryan Day as the backbone for his waiver. Martell could also expedite his graduation date by this summer, making him immediately eligible for 2019. Miami is also seeking a graduate transfer from Alabama QB Jalen Hurts, who recently visited UM while also making stops at Maryland and Oklahoma. Hurts has yet to make a decision, but when he does, he will be eligible to play immediately. The Hurricanes struggled at quarterback in 2018 with Malik Rosier unable to continue his solid play from the year prior. Rosier, who lost his starting job early in the season, completed 52.6 percent of his passes with six touchdowns, eight interceptions and six more scores on 300 rushing yards. N'Kosi Perry, his replacement and the primary starter last season, completed 50.8 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns and six picks. Perry also dealt with a couple off-field issues over the course of the season. After ending the season 7-6, Miami saw coach Mark Richt depart the program and retire. Former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who briefly left to take the top job at Temple, returned to the Canes as their new coach. Diaz has already injected some life into the program, convincing players seeking transfers to stay in town and hauling in a big transfer of his own in Martell.