For the first time this year, the NCAA transfer portal has backfired. This morning the Miami Hurricanes announced that Jarren Williams has won the job as starting quarterback, beating out Ohio State transfer Tate Martell.
Those close to the team will see this decision as no surprise, given Williams’ strong passing ability and fantastic athleticism, but Martell’s loss will still have an impact across the nation.
The former five-star recruit transferred to the Hurricanes following the Buckeye’s recruitment of fellow five-star quarterback Justin Fields. Martell made the decision to transfer in hopes of being able to lock down a starting job for the 2019 season.
The NCAA transfer portal has been a hot topic this offseason, as a large number of high-profile players have been on the move this spring/summer. High caliber players such as Jalen Hurts, Tommy Stevens, and Juwan Johnson jumped ship to new teams in hopes of starting right away and/or avoiding a quarterback battle.
Most instances of players on the move have proven to be in the best interest of the players, but with Tate Martell, we have the first major instance of the move blowing up in the player’s face.
Martell served as Dwayne Haskins’ back up in 2018 and threw for 269 yards and a touchdown. He was a highly-touted five-star recruit (second-ranked dual-threat quarterback of the 2017 class) but questions about his passing ability have led many analysts to question whether or not he should move to wide receiver to capitalize on his athleticism.
It is unclear at this time whether Tate Martell or N’Kosi Perry will serve as the team’s backup.
