Oh how a sizable chunk of college football fans are going to take great glee over this development, regardless of how long it lasts.
Instead of bringing it on and competing with Georgia transfer Justin Fields for the starting job, Tate Martell hightailed it out of Ohio State earlier this offseason and ultimately landed at Miami not long after. Granted immediate eligibility with the Hurricanes, and seen as a slight favorite to win the starting job, Martell instead saw Jarren Williams stake his claim as QB1 as Manny Diaz named the redshirt freshman the Hurricanes’ starter earlier this week.
Losing out on the starting led to Martell bailing on practice, even as he ultimately returned. Not long after, it was reported and/or speculated that a position change, specifically to wide receiver, could be in the offing for Martell.
All of that brings us to Friday, where at least a couple of media outlets are reporting that, yes, the Hurricanes are indeed experimenting with using the once highly-touted quarterback as a receiver.
There has been no word yet on how much further this experiment will extend as Martell and quasi-incumbent N’Kosi Perry are still ostensibly engaged in a battle for the backup job.
Martell was a four-star member of OSU’s 2017 recruiting class, rated as the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the country. After redshirting as a true freshman, Martell threw for 269 yards and a touchdown on 23-of-28 passing this past season while also running for another 128 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.