NCAA drags out Tate Martell decision as Manny Diaz lists factors in choosing Miami QB
The Miami Hurricanes and their fans have been waiting and waiting and waiting for an NCAA decision on whether new University of Miami quarterback Tate Martell, who transferred to UM in January, will be granted his waiver request to play immediately in 2019 instead of sitting out the customary NCAA-mandated season.
Martell is aleady enrolled in school, and Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz said Thursday that he “wouldn’t want to speak [on] Martell’s mindset’’ regarding how the wait has affected Martell. “In terms of his mindset you’d have to ask him,’’ Diaz said. “In terms of the waiting, I don’t think we ever went into this knowing that there was a certain day that we thought [an NCAA decision would be rendered]. Our expectation has been kind of low in that regard.
“In terms of how that affects our planning, this is spring practice. Unless they move the Florida game to next week, we’re really just concerned right now about getting each guy on our roster as good as they can be.’’
If Martell, the 2016 Gatorade Player of the Year who played sparingly for Ohio State last season as a redshirt freshman, gets the waiver, he’ll have three remaining seasons of eligibility. If not, he’d have to sit out in 2019 and have two seasons of eligibility remaining. Martell’s waiver is likely related to former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer retiring after the 2018 season. Meyer was replaced by Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Day. Former Georgia Bulldogs heralded prep quarterback Justin Fields transferred to OSU before Martell transferred, and Fields’ waiver request was granted early last month.
“The great thing with Tate is he’s just becoming a guy in our locker room,’’ Diaz said during a teleconference, about 90 minutes before UM announced that the season opener with the Florida Gators at Camping World Stadium in Orlando had been moved up to August 24 from the original date of Aug. 31. “He doesn’t have to come here and put on a cape. One thing we talked about is when you show up at a new place, you’re not going to earn the respect of your teammates through talent. That’s been a little bit of our issue here.
“You learn it through your work ethic and toughness. Tate has shown off both of those things. He’s shown a lot of the competitiveness and some of the leadership qualities that we wanted to add to our quarterback room. To me he’s been great in terms of just being a guy and just taking step by step and not trying to do too much.”
Whether he gets approved to play immediately or not, Martell will participate in spring practice, which begins a week from Tuesday on March 19. Joining him in the would-be quarterback competition will be returning part-time starter N’Kosi Perry, fellow rising redshirt sophomore Cade Weldon and rising redshirt freshman Jarren Williams.
“As far as all the quarterbacks, all the quarterbacks have been going through — you know, we do have the ability to do football meetings this time of year, so they’re getting a crash course in Coach [Dan] Enos’ offense,’’ Diaz said of UM’s new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. “They’re learning and I think all those guys know that they all have a fresh start. I can’t wait to come back in a week and a half and actually watch them throw a ball, when this goes from just being able to transfer this from the classroom out onto the grass. It’ll be interesting to see. There’s nothing but a good old-fashioned competition.”
Perry, Weldon and Williams were all suspended for violating team rules at different points of last season, with a couple of Perry’s social media video postings creating controversy.
Diaz stressed that the person he chooses to be quarterback will have to be more than just good on a football field.
“What they’re learning is that everything counts and every day counts and it’s not just every day when they’re in this building,’’ the coach said. “Every day in terms of how they go to class, how they go to study hall, how they interact online, everything they do is evaluated if you want to be the starting quarterback at the University of Miami.
“We are under no pressure to have a two-deep ready in two weeks. Right now this is about just find guys, get them as good as they can be and then when you come out of spring, realistically with the new system in place, you’re just going to come out of spring with an idea of what our guys can do.
“...Right now what we’re doing is we’re tearing the car apart, we’re polishing up every piece and we know that we don’t have to put the car back together again to get it running until August. So to me Tate is just one of the pieces in the bigger machine.”
