Tate Martell Transferring To Miami. Jeff Thomas Returning
Ohio State QB Tate Martell is transferring to Miami in one of the biggest moves of the 2018 offseason.
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No, Miami. You don’t get him on the field quite yet.
Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell couldn’t beat out Dwayne Haskins for the starting job this year, and the writing was on the wall when 2018 Georgia super-recruit Justin Fields transferred to the Buckeyes a few weeks ago.
Martell put himself into the transfer portal and instantly became one of the hottest quarterback prospects back on the market. Miami seems like an easy fit, and now …
The Hurricanes still need an answer for the 2019 season – Martell won’t be eligible until 2020. He gets a year in the system under Manny Diaz, the program gets to recruit around a dangerous dual-threat baller with a big-time attitude and fire, and it turns Miami into a hotter team than it already was going forward.
But again, what about for right now?
Malik Rosier is done, and while N’Kosi Perry has the talent and the upside to be the full-time guy, he hasn’t shown it yet, completing 51% of his passes for 1,091 yards with 13 touchdowns and six picks, to go along with 169 rushing yards and a score.
If Perry ends up being the main man and he lives up to his potential with three years of eligibility left, then what for Martell? He’s likely banking on 1) Perry not being the real deal, 2) former four-star talent Jarren Williams being beatable in a quarterback derby, and 3) 2017 recruit Cade Weldon being a non-factor.
But for now, Miami just won a big, big battle. It landed one of the top recruits in the 2017 class after not being in the mix for his services the first time around.
And if that wasn’t enough, leading receiver Jeff Thomas – who was apparently leaving for Illinois – changed his mind. He’s coming back to Miami again after saying just two days ago that he’s committed to the Illini.
Miami is going to have a passing game at some point. The offensive pieces are coming into place.
