Former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell will be opting out of the 2020 college football season for the Miami Hurricanes. The story was first reported by the Miami Herald and comes amid a roller coaster of a college football career thus far.
The news comes just one week after Martell was suspended (subscription required) for one game by Miami head coach Manny Diaz. A reason was not given for the suspension, but Diaz indicated he would be back with the team. Now, however, it appears as though Martell is done for the year and you have to wonder what his future holds.
Martell was the national Gatorade Player of the Year back in 2016-17 and was one of the most sought after dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2017 class before eventually choosing Ohio State. His popularity went beyond the football field as he was featured in a 60 minutes story and star of the Netfix documentary “QB1: Beyond the Lights” when he played high school football at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas.
NEW EXCLUSIVE: Hurricanes quarterback Tate Martell opts out of 2020 season. The latest twist in his saga. And a UM COVID update: https://t.co/0UXqTdff0D
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) September 19, 2020
His time in college has never quite panned out however. At Ohio State, he was behind incumbent captain and starter J.T. Barrett, then lost a three-man battle for the 2018 starting spot with Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow.
He was expected to take over as the presumptive starter in 2019 before Justin Fields transferred to the program. Seeing the writing on the wall, he then transferred to Miami where he again fell behind on the depth chart, eventually switching to wide receiver.