Before we go any further, just understand that Tate Martell wants to play quarterback next year.
Quarterback is what he does, it’s who he is, and he came to Ohio State to eventually be the starter at that position.
But for now, after redshirting as a true freshman this year, he simply wants to play next season.
“I think that regardless, I’ll be doing something on the field,” Martell said after the Cotton Bowl. “Whether it’s quarterback, who knows what position? I’ve played a lot of them this year on scout. Definitely going to go do my thing and try to stay with quarterback. That’s what I want to do.”
His time on the scout team was talked about quite a bit. He spent time emulating quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield and Trace McSorley, but also running backs like Michigan’s Karan Higdon Chris Evans. And when the itch arose, he also spent some time in the slot as a receiver.
Once J.T. Barrett decided to return for his fifth year, Martell’s redshirt was essentially custom fitted and going nowhere. He didn’t view this as a year off, however. He used it to get as involved as he could, and he made a statement that he would do whatever it takes to see the field in 2018.
Even though he was No. 4 on the quarterback depth chart and generally on scout team, in many aspects, it would be difficult to have a better audition for 2018.
“We’ll see. I did what I could to prepare myself to be a better player for next year when it comes around that time,” he said. “When it comes to that, I don’t know. I wouldn’t call it starting the competition early. I think it’s going to be wide open. It’s going to be a crazy one for sure.”
This is going to be one of the most interesting spring camps in a while. People may look back to the quarterback competition in 2015, but J.T. Barrett wasn’t full go and Braxton Miller wasn’t even throwing yet. In March, you’ll have a three-man battle between Dwayne Haskins, Joe Burrow, and Tate Martell. True freshman Matthew Baldwin will also be along for the ride, but on the outside looking in.
Spring football will be Martell’s first real opportunity to compete for a starting spot. In fact, it will be everyone’s first real opportunity, given that nobody was supplanting J.T. Barrett. If competition makes everyone better, the growth and improvement in the five weeks of camp in March and April should be significant.
Don’t expect a winner to be named at the end of camp, but the players will know which way the wind is blowing in a general sense.
“I guess you can just base it off of who moves the ball,” Martell said. “You’ll figure it out when the time comes, how the offense moves with who’s in there. The coaches know what they’re doing with each one of us and what they do. We all move the ball down the field while we’re at practice.”
With snow on the ground in Columbus and temperatures in the single digits, spring football feels like it’s a long way off. What is quickly approaching, however, are winter workouts. Early mornings, difficult workouts, and the kind of welcome to football for college freshmen that doesn’t feel all that welcoming.
But because of what it means for 2018, Martell is looking forward to it.
“That’s the part that I’m excited about,” he said. “Get stronger, faster, get in the weight room. It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be hard like it was last year, but this time I’m actually in better shape now.”
Martell has now been on campus for about 51 weeks and he has used most of those weeks preparing to be ready for what he is now about to step into. None of it was easy, and it is only going to get more difficult, but that’s the only way to get good enough to make your mark.
Asked what people should expect from him in 2018, he wasn’t sure how to answer the question, but when asked what he expected from himself, there was no hesitation in his answer.
“That I’m going to be playing,” he said.
His position next year may still be up in the air, but his stance leaves no doubt.
Tate Martell wants to play quarterback, but more than that, he wants to contribute. If the team needs him somewhere else next year, that’s what he’ll do. He wants to play quarterback, but for now, he just wants to play.