Tate Martell discusses stock drop after transferring from Ohio State, Miami

Tate Martell sat in the transfer portal for nearly six months this year before making the decision to transfer to UNLV. The former Ohio State and Miami quarterback had a late start to fall camp due to a thumb injury but is in the mix to play for the Rebels.

Martell sat out last season, walking away from the Hurricanes program. He could have quit football, too, but the former four-star prospect out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas decided to give college football a final try.

“I hit rock bottom about a year ago and was going to quit football,” Martell recently wrote on TikTok. “Decided one random day to leave Miami and come home to train, dedicated all my time to graduating, getting in the best shape and changing myself as a person. Then two months ago I had thumb surgery, thought everything I worked to become was for nothing.

“The schools I was talking to randomly stopped talking to me once I told them I had surgery on my thumb. UNLV still gave me the opportunity to play for them. I’m extremely grateful. I’m continuing to recover and work every day with my teammates.”

UNLV opens the season on Thursday night when Eastern Washington visits Las Vegas. Martell’s status in the quarterback competition is unknown. Quarterbacks Doug Brumfield and Justin Rogers have gone head-to-head so far this month without much separation, but UNLV coach Marcus Arroyo still has not yet announced a starter.

Tate Martell’s Path to UNLV

A four-star recruit and No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 class, Martell had the spotlight on him during his time at Bishop Gorman as the star of the Netflix show QB 1: Behind the Lights. 

Martell enrolled at Ohio State in January 2017 and served as a backup behind J.T. Barrett and Dwayne Haskins in his first two seasons in Columbus. When Haskins left Ohio State early for the NFL Draft, Martell declared he would win the quarterback competition despite the Buckeyes bringing in Georgia transfer Justin Fields. 

The quarterback made an about-face after Fields transferred in, opting to leave the Buckeyes for Miami. His stint with the Hurricanes did not fair much better as JarrenWilliams beat him out for the starting job in 2019. And this past season he opted out but posted a video in January marking his return to football. 

In his college career, Martell has played nine career games throwing 24 of 29 for 276 yards and a touchdown.