Former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell said ‘Goodbye, Columbus’ Thursday and headed south to Miami.
Martell posted a series of images on his Instagram account with messages of support from friends at OSU, then documented his flight from Ohio to south Florida.
When he landed in Miami, a TV crew was waiting to get his thoughts on his new home.
“I feel good. Just glad to be a part of the team now and get down here and get to work,” Martell said.
The quarterback made some very pointed comments about his views on the quarterback position at Ohio State back in December, but had nothing but positive things to say on Thursday.
He said that the Hurricanes and their new head coach Manny Diaz were a natural fit for him.
“I felt comfortable with everything, with the guys on the team, the scheme fit, everything. I just felt really good when I talked to Coach Diaz,” Martell said.
In Miami, he will be reunited with a pair of his old teammates, safety Bubba Bolden and tight end Brevin Jordan from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.
Those familiar faces probably helped sell Martell on the Hurricanes, and he said new offensive coordinator Dan Enos was a big plus as well.
“I think it’s just a good fit for me with Coach Enos coming in and the offense that he’s running,” Martell said. “He worked with Tua (Tagovailoa) last year, so it’s a good coach to be around.”
He’s not arriving in Miami at a high point in Hurricanes history. The U went just 7-6 in 2018 and got obliterated by Wisconsin, 35-3 in the Pinstripe Bowl. But Martell said he doesn’t expect the Canes to be down for long.
“The team has all the talent in the world, now it’s just putting it all together. I have no doubt it’ll happen.”
You can watch his full interview with CBS 4 Miami below.
.@CBS4Sports talks to the newest Quarterback of the @MiamiHurricanes @TheTateMartell about coming to UM. pic.twitter.com/R2tfeFp5Fz
— CBS4 Miami (@CBSMiami) January 18, 2019