As a true freshman quarterback for Ohio State last season, Tate Martell threw and ran for a combined total of zero yards. He never saw the field once for the Buckeyes.
But it was still a productive rookie season for the Las Vegas signal caller.
Martell spent the bulk of his time working on the scout team, helping to prepare the Ohio State defense for players like Baker Mayfield and Trace McSorley.
Martell — along with true freshman walk-on quarterback Kory Curtis — gave the OSU defense as many different looks at opposing quarterbacks as they needed.
For Martell, who came in as a 5-star prospect, the scout team may not have been on his mind initially, but he eventually saw it as a way to contribute as much as he could.
“I think it was a great year for me,” he said recently. “The coaches told me that I didn’t have to do it, but I wanted to do it because I knew it would benefit me in a ton of ways. And you know going against the starting defense and earning the respect of the guys, knowing that I’m buying in for them, trying to give them a good look, I definitely think it was a good thing for me overall.”
Even though he was running a different offense than Ohio State’s, he still got to experience first hand what it is like to deal with a ferocious pass rush and NFL-caliber defensive backs.
Coaches try to put freshmen in a position to succeed, but the scout team is not supposed to succeed. It’s basically sink or swim while wearing cement cleats.
There is nothing comfortable about being on the scout team. Players learn new schemes each week and then have to try and execute these schemes against Nick Bosa, Tyquan Lewis, Chris Worley, and Damon Webb. Good luck.
If Tate Martell was looking for comfort, however, he would have never offered himself up to join the scout team. And he certainly wouldn’t have volunteered to play running back and even receiver if the opponent called for it.
“I played everything,” he said. “I played mostly quarterback, but then every once in a while it wasn’t a quarterback that we were focused on. If it was more of a running back then I would play running back because I could do it. Then sometimes I would just go and mess around a little bit and play receiver just because.”
Martell was a starting quarterback for three seasons at Bishop Gorman High School, leading his team to three national titles in a row. When he signed with Ohio State, he did it with designs on competing to play as a true freshman. Once J.T. Barrett returned for his senior season, however, he knew that he would likely be redshirting. That kind of let down can sometimes take a while to get over.
Martell enrolled early, taking part in winter workouts and spring football, but it wasn’t until the late summer when things finally began to make sense for him.
“It was a little before the season started,” he said. “Maybe during the summer a little bit. It was a transition period where I just saw exactly what I needed to do. It clicked for me.”
“He’s matured,” said freshman defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, a teammate of Martell’s at Bishop Gorman. “He enrolled earlier than I did, but one thing I see from my friend, he put the team before himself. He went on scout team and he got our defense ready. Day in and day out. Week by week. Every week he was giving our guys a good look running around the field. He matured a lot, transitioning from high school to the collegiate level.”
A leader’s journey generally has humble beginnings, and there are few things as humbling as getting stifled every day by a dominating defense. Martell believes his beginnings will pave the way to much more for him and the team that he hopes one day to lead.
“If you’re not going to be doing anything in the game and you’re just sitting around, I feel like you should go on scout team. I’m being honest,” he said. “It made me so much better. I helped the defense, gave them good looks. You earn the respect of the guys.
“Especially as a freshman. You’ve got to earn the respect of the guys around you. I’m just as close with the guys on defense as I am the guys on offense. Just because of what I did for them, and them making me better. It’s stuff like that. It was good. I wouldn’t say that this was a bad year for me. I would say that this was a pretty good year to take advantage of the opportunities that I had.”
News Alert*** Urban is set on Haskin….Burrow the better QB will transfer…Martell to serve as back up…Kory Curtis third string….this in my opinion is how the QB battle plays out. I would love nothing better than to see a true competition and the best man win….does not always happen that way…case in point JT Barrett….good leader but his lack of passing ability costs us games…i.e. Oklahoma, Iowa…and truthfully defense won the bowl game against USC.
Let Martell start & OSU will have a championship QB for the next four years. He then will lead the team to multiple Championship. An outstanding leader with a huge amount of talent. Accurate throwing the ball while on the move. Will drive a defense crazy. Fun to watch!!
Love to see him on the field and hope that Wilson and Day can creatively involve him in either a ‘wildcat or spread type of formation.’ Scout team is a great place for him and believe he had a key role in OSU dumping some teams that have spread type QB’s, as he what he lacks in experience is made up with quickness and talent!
Tate Martell has been all in from day one. Even before he was fully committed to the Buckeyes it seems. He’s helped try to bring other recruits with him, he’s been doing everything (and more) that’s been asked of him on the scout team. He’s being respectful, helping his team mates on the sidelines, encouraging. I hope he gets a fair shot at the QB position and wins Ohio State a N.C.