UM clarifies future plan for Martell and why package of plays for him hasn’t materialized
A six-pack of University of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Monday:
▪ The Tate Martell receiver experiment is officially over.
A few weeks after moving back from receiver to quarterback, coach Manny Diaz said the move is permanent and that Martell will not return to receiver this offseason because he wants to play quarterback longterm.
“We’re letting him dictate,” Diaz said. “Receiver was his idea at the beginning and going back to QB is what he wanted to transition back to.”
Ohio State had a package for Martell last season, using him on 22 rushing attempts (for 128 yards) and 28 passing attempts (for 269 yards), with some of those coming in mop-up duty at quarterback.
But in his first season at UM, he has no passing attempts and just two rushing attempts, for two yards. He hasn’t touched the ball since the Sept. 24 Bethune Cookman game. And while he was the backup QB at Ohio State, he’s the third-string quarterback here.
Why haven’t we seen more of a package of plays for Martell?
“Tate has had some issues here and there that he’s been going through,” offense coordinator Dan Enos said. “We’re here to support him. We had a package last week that was ready for him and we didn’t get to it. It wasn’t anything he did or didn’t do.
“Tate had a little rollercoaster about positions but the last couple weeks, he has practiced really hard and diligent about his preparation. We will always have things in there that we can do with him. It’s how flow of game goes” and whether UM feels a need to use it.
Martell missed one game earlier this season while on a personal leave for a medical issue.
▪ Jarren Williams has improved dramatically, which is a credit to Williams and Enos. So what’s the next frontier for Williams?
“We discussed with him some of the plays within our offense there are multiple options, RPO [run/pass option] stuff in particular,” Enos said. “He’s gotten through phase 1. We haven’t gotten to phase 2 or phase 3. Couple opportunities we missed because we didn’t make the right decisions because it hadn’t occurred as much as another one.
“There are still some times he is sure about what he’s going to do on the front side of the concept but we a have free access throw on the other side. Sometimes we confirm and sometimes we don’t confirm and we miss that. Next level stuff where he could have the entire offense working for him.
“One of biggest improvements he has made is fundamentals, pocket posture. Just watching him function in the pocket was night and day from where we were in the spring camp. That’s a reflection of volume of reps, him working on it. It’s exciting because there are areas we can continue to get better at.”
▪ Since mid-August, five players have left UM, seeking more playing time elsewhere: safety/striker Derrick Smith Jr., cornerback Nigel Bethel, guard Cleveland Reed, receiver Brian Hightower and tight end Evidence Njoku. Of those, the departures of Hightower and Reed were disappointing because of their upside.
But if Diaz ever gets word that a player is thinking of transferring, he said he would not ask his coaches to play that player more, because the coaches would lose credibility with the team by doing so.
“If you went in front of our team and said, ‘We’re going to play Johnny even though he hasn’t [warranted it],’ you would lose your locker room,” Diaz said. “You can never fool the players.”
What has changed from the past, Diaz said, is transfers are happening during the season, even though “there is nowhere you can go” and most players finish the semester taking classes at the school they’re leaving.
▪ Defensive personnel notes: Jon Ford played the fewest of the five regular defensive tackles against Louisville — which was partly a byproduct of a minor injury and partly because others performed better in practice. “All are deserving of equal reps,” defensive coordinator Blake Baker said of Ford, Pat Bethel, Chigozie Nnoruka, Nesta Silvera and Jordan Miller. “He didn’t want to take himself out; it was more precautionary by us.” …
Linebacker Patrick Joyner Jr., who made his season debut against Louisville after recovering from a longterm injury, “did a pretty good job,” Baker said. “All spring, he had worked at defensive end [before moving to linebacker at the end of spring]. He’s continued to get better every week. You can see the past month him getting better and better every day at practice.”...
Diaz suggested senior Scott Patchan will apply for another year of eligibility and believes he has a good case. Baker said if another year is granted, Patchan will stay outside at end next season instead of moving inside to tackle. “We would love to have him back,” Baker said.
▪ Enos loves how the offensive line has come along and believes the position can go from a shortcoming early in the season to a strength next season, with all five starters underclassmen.
They all are “long, have good feet, good balance,” Enos said. “With [freshman left tackle Zion Nelson], it’s getting more comfortable and understanding what he has to do to play faster. And same thing with Jakai Clark.
“Navaughn Donaldson, we pulled out and put John Campbell in [a few weeks ago]. Navaghn is playing better, playing with more power and faster. He got a little fire put under him. Another offseason in the weight room and spring practice, the group has a chance to be a strength for us.”
▪ Quick stuff: Per PFF, UM’s Al Blades Jr. has the second-lowest passer rating against when targeted (or second-best from a defensive standpoint) among all FBS cornerbacks with a minimum of 25 targets, at 29.3….
Enos said receiver Mike Harley Jr’s “athleticism is starting to show. Early in the season, he was trying too hard, trying to make every play into a big play.”... UM’s Nov. 30 regular-season finale at Duke was set for 3:30 p.m., and will be televised by ESPN, ESPN2 or ACC Network, with a decision to be made next weekend.
This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 2:37 PM.
