MUSKEGON — Cameron Martinez was sitting in the team room at Muskegon High, discussing where he will be playing football next fall.
What’s known is he will be playing at Ohio State; what’s to be decided is his position.
“That is always the question of the day,” he said. “It’s a question I don’t even know yet. Sometimes I lean toward defense, sometimes I lean toward offense.”
But when he talks about playing offense, Martinez concedes that it will not be at quarterback — a notion that seems ridiculous, considering he will go down as one of the best high school quarterbacks in state history.
Heading into Saturday’s Division 3 regional championship game against East Grand Rapids at Grand Haven (1 p.m.), Martinez has run for 1,599 yards and 29 touchdowns on 171 carries, and has completed 53 of 85 passes for 1,021 yards and nine touchdowns.
His passer rating is 124.68, placing him just ahead of Aaron Rodgers’ NFL record of 122.5 set in 2011.
So many players who are quarterbacks in high school but asked to change positions in college only do so kicking and screaming.
[ Predictions: Michigan high school football playoff picks ]
But switching positions at Ohio State is no big deal to Martinez because he sees the bigger picture as well as he sees the football field. He realizes that at 5-feet-11, 190 pounds, he does not fit the mold college coaches are looking for in a quarterback, so he is willing to play safety or slot receiver at Ohio State.
“I think it can further my career because I want to be an NFL football player,” he said matter-of-factly. “I want to be at positions where I can be successful. With a coaching staff like that, I hope that they’ll develop me into whatever position I do play and hopefully it works out.”