Texas A&M Quarterback commit, Tate Martell is the most dynamic quarterback in all of high school football. After leading Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, NV) to a national championship his Sophomore year as well as their seventh straight Nevada state title his Junior year, Martell is primed to take his game to new heights next year. "I know how capable our team is and how hard we work. This year we went out there and were able to prove how good we are every game. I don’t really worry about losing because every time we go out onto the field I know that we've prepared so well, every single week, that we are going to win.” Martell said

 

Today, Tate Martell is widely considered to be the best quarterback in high school football, but it hasn’t always been that way, as Martell says: "I began playing football when I was six. I started off as a Left Tackle, third string. I had no athleticism whatsoever when I was younger,” That all changed once Martell met famed quarterback coach, Steve Clarkson. "I’ve been working with Steve [Clarkson] for five or six years now and he’s probably one of the biggest reasons why I am where I am right now,” Martell said.” When I was younger, I used to train with him a lot and he would fix my throwing release. My release was trash and he helped me fix that. I’ve always had that big play potential in me and he really taught me that. That’s become my thing, I extend plays and do what I can. He’s definitely helped me a lot with my throwing motion and becoming a better quarterback throughout the recruiting process. He’s just been there for me.”

 

Martell’s height has been a very large obstacle. Standing at 5’11”, Martell draws many comparisons to quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Johnny Manziel, but at the same time, many critics say Martell will be unable to succeed at the next level due to his small stature. “I think the biggest obstacle for me is that people look down on me because of my height, but I’ve always just proved people wrong.” Proving people wrong is definitely something that Martell has done throughout his football career.

 

Martell first made headlines in 2012 when he committed to the University of Washington before he had even started the eighth grade. From the get-go, it was clear that he made a mistake. “I don’t think that a kid should commit before high school and I don’t think that it was smart on my part to commit that early,” Martell acknowledged. “ I decommitted because I didn’t want to stay committed to them and be unable to look at other schools to see what the best opportunity is for me,” It wasn’t until August of his Junior year, that Martell decided that he was ready to make his decision. On August 20, 2015,  Martell announced his decision to commit to Texas A&M University. "I really like the coaches and obviously the fans are great, it’s pretty unreal. All of the students are amazing too, so it felt like a perfect fit for me, especially with that offense.” said Martell.

 

Many were shocked at his decision, as Texas A&M already had two quarterbacks that Martell would have to compete with when he joins the team in 2017. Martell remained unfazed, saying, “I’m not concerned about the depth chart. I want to go and compete with the best and make it to the NFL. That's my goal. When I go to college, I want to go to the school that’s best for me and not worry about the depth chart.”

Only a couple weeks after saying this, Martell received some good news. On December 10, 2015, current Texas A&M starting quarterback, Kyle Allen, announced his decision to transfer from A&M but that wasn’t the end of it. On December 18, barely a week after Allen’s transfer, A&M’s other quarterback, Kyler Murray, announced that he was transferring, leaving the quarterback position wide open for Martell.  

 

Originally from San Diego, California, Martell played his Freshman year at Poway High School (San Diego, California), but at the conclusion of the season, Martell knew it was time for a change: “I moved to Bishop Gorman because they have a better football team and it’s better school for me,” he said, “It’s a private school and I think it’s always better to be at a private school. I’ve always felt better at private schools. Obviously, the football there was better, but my parents wanting to move out of California was also a big deal,” After transferring to Bishop Gorman, Martell was immediately faced with criticism. How is a 5’11” quarterback supposed to be a leader on one of the best teams in the nation? Despite the criticism, Martell soon proved the doubters wrong. During his Sophomore year in 2014, Martell led Bishop Gorman to a national title, all while throwing 40 touchdowns and only two interceptions. His Junior year wasn’t too shabby either, throwing for 32 touchdowns and running for another nine. Martell made it clear: He is not a quarterback to be messed with.  

 

With a national championship and two state titles to his name, Tate Martell is definitely a player to watch out for in the Class of 2017 and on the national spectrum. It will be interesting to watch him face the challenges that await for him at Texas A&M and beyond.