Tate Martell to reportedly consider switching to wide receiver for Miami
With Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz naming redshirt freshman Jarren Williams the team’s starting quarterback on Monday, that seemingly left recent Ohio State transfer Tate Martell without a role.
However, that may not last for long, as the AP’s W.G. Ramirez reported on Friday that Martell will attempt a switch to wide receiver.
While it’s certainly a disappointment for the former four-star recruit, Martell would not be the first high-profile quarterback to make a position change to receiver. Even just looking at former Ohio State QBs, Braxton Miller proved to be a competent receiver in 2015. Terrelle Pryor made the same change after going pro and is entering his ninth NFL season.
The good news for Martell is that there will be plenty of opportunity for him to make an impact at receiver. Junior Jeff Thomas is the only returning player with more than 300 receiving yards last year, and his 563 yards only ranked 13th in the ACC. After him, the competition is wide open.
Although Martell doesn’t have experience at receiver, he has the athleticism to potentially pull it off. He ran a 3.96 second 20-yard shuttle before signing with Ohio State, which was 0.14 seconds off the best time for his class among dual-threat quarterbacks. His 36.8-inch vertical leap was also near the top of his class.
A fall from grace for Tate Martell
It wasn’t long ago that Martell was considered the quarterback of the future for Ohio State. But when former top quarterback recruit Justin Fields transferred from Georgia and was ruled immediately eligible, Martell was not long for Columbus.
Back when Fields first entered the transfer portal and had Ohio State atop his wish list, Martell sent a since-deleted cryptic tweet. “word of advice: don’t swing and miss ... especially not your second time.”
Martell would do well to heed his own advice and make the most of his opportunity with the Canes. He has a chance to become a big part of the offense at receiver or he could stick around as a backup because, as Diaz noted on Tuesday, he’d only be a snap away from playing.
More from Yahoo Sports:
