Scott Frost went full Rocky on Sunday: Yo Adrian!
Thanks to Nebraska’s release of their first depth chart of the year, we now know that Frost has picked Adrian Martinez to start at quarterback for the team in their season opener against Akron. In going with the youngster, the school notes he will become the first freshman to ever start the season at that ever so important position.
And there have been quite a few pretty good young signal-callers to start for the Cornhuskers over the years so that’s saying something.
Frost made recruiting Martinez a priority when he first took the job in Lincoln and it appears as though all the cross-country flying to visit him while still coaching UCF for the Peach Bowl paid off for both parties. The freshman wowed most observers inside and outside the program with a terrific outing in the Huskers spring game and was widely considered the favorite for the job ever since thanks to his strong arm and ability to escape pressure.
Going with Martinez is also a nod to the future of the program as the new regime looks to get the school back onto the national stage. Frost hasn’t been shy in saying he thinks the trajectory is for Nebraska to start playing for division and conference titles in Year 2 and 3 so tabbing the youngster certainly is a way to justify that kind of timetable.
Martinez was the choice over redshirt freshman Tristan Gebbia, who will serve as the backup and likely still get some playing time early in the non-conference slate.
Nebraska opens the season on Saturday at home against Akron.