This is not a drill: Tate Martell takes over at QB for Hurricanes in Independence Bowl
The Miami Hurricanes are finally giving Tate Martell a shot to be their quarterback.
Martell, the Ohio State transfer who had yet to throw a pass for Miami and missed three games during separate leaves of absence, took over for quarterback Jarren Williams in the second quarter of the Independence Bowl against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Thursday.
Martell rejoined the quarterback competition ahead of the trip to Shreveport, but Williams ultimately beat out Martell and fellow quarterback N’Kosi Perry to win the starting job.
Martell played one series, completed one pass and led Miami to one first down before returning to the bench for Williams.
On Tuesday, Diaz said during an Independence Bowl news conference that he would use Tuesday’s practice to help him determine his starter. UM’s last game was played on Nov. 30.
The Hurricanes (6-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) are trying to end the year with a winning record, while the Bulldogs (9-3, 6-2 Conference USA) are going for their first 10-win season since 1984.
Martell is the high-profile, popular redshirt sophomore who transferred from the Buckeyes to Miami last January. He was the 2016 Gatorade National Player of the Year out of Las Vegas Gorman Bishop High, where he played with current UM tight end Brevin Jordan and safety Bubba Bolden.
But the 5-11, 210-pound Martell, known for his speed and running ability, was outperformed in the offseason by fellow competitors Williams and Perry. Williams was eventually named the starter and Perry the backup during fall camp.
Per Martell’s request, according to coach Manny Diaz, he was converted to a receiver. But that never worked out either, and later in the season he switched back exclusively to quarterback. He played very briefly in four of the first five games, getting two carries for two yards. He never caught or threw a pass.
Martell missed the Pittsburgh game, briefly returned, and left the team again to work out personal issues ahead of the FIU and Duke losses in late November.
“For those asking: I’m not transferring from the university of miami,’’ Martell wrote to fans in an Instagram story he posted on the eve of the Duke game. “My leave of absence is due [to] person[al] reasons. At this time, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to discuss these reasons.
“There might be a time, down the road, when I believe it is appropriate to talk about this publicly. For the time being, I need some time to focus on these issues.’’
At Ohio State in 2018, Martell went 23 of 28 for 269 yards and a touchdown, and ran 22 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns as the backup to former Heisman Trophy finalist Dwayne Haskins.
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 5:21 PM.
