Miami (FL) quarterback Tate Martell is opting out of the 2020 college football season. Barry Jackson and Susan Miller Dengan of the Miami Herald were first to report Martell's decision, and the school listed "Tate Martell (season)" on the unavailability report prior to Saturday night's primetime game vs. No. 18 Louisville.
Martell, in his second year with the 17th-ranked Hurricanes, was suspended for the season opener against UAB. The Herald reports that, as of this week, Martell wasn't on the quarterback depth chart for No. 17 Miami's game Saturday at No. 18 Louisville, either. That featured D'Eriq King, junior N'Kosi Perry and freshman Tyler Van Dyke.
Neither Martell nor Miami has confirmed that the redshirt junior has opted out of the season. It's also not clear if Martell plans on staying with the Hurricanes.
Still, it would be just the latest event in a career that once had a lot of promise. A four-star prospect and Gatorade Player of the Year coming out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Martell signed with Ohio State as a member of the 2017 class. After redshirting his freshman year, he backed up Dwayne Haskins in 2018, throwing for 269 yards and a touchdown.
However, he transferred to Miami the following offseason when Justin Fields transferred to the Buckeyes. Martell then lost the quarterback competition and was slotted behind Jarren Williams and Perry. After a season in which he missed a few games due to personal reasons, he finished with one completed pass for 7 yards -- which came in the 14-0 loss to Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl. He also worked out at receiver, but never saw playing time there.
