Could Tate Martell be THE guy at QB for Louisville football?

Louisville football will meet with Ohio State transfer and former five star dual-threat quarterback Tate Martell. Is he THE guy for Scott Satterfield and the Cards?

It’s no secret that Louisville football is in need of a new face to compete with the three quarterbacks on the roster for the 2019-20 season. Whether it’s a high school commit, a transfer, or even graduate transfer, the Cards desperately need another QB to compete for the starting role in 2019-20.

Last Thursday after big-name transfer quarterback Justin Fields enrolled at the Ohio State University, redshirt freshman quarterback Tathan (Tate) Martell’s name appeared in the mysterious transfer portal. The highly-recruited and sought after quarterback seemingly changed his mind after previously saying he was staying put despite the imminent transfer of former Georgia quarterback Fields.

Martell addressed the media after the Rose Bowl and made the bold proclamation:

"“Why would I leave for someone who hasn’t put a single second into this program?…To just run away from somebody who hasn’t put a single second in at winter workouts and doesn’t know what the program is all about? There’s not a chance”."

The only problem was that is exactly what Martell did. Fields officially enrolled in Columbus and Martell’s name was discovered in the portal just days later. With Martell leaving Ohio State the question then became: where would Martell look to be handed the keys to another program?

On Sunday Martell’s shortlist suddenly appeared on Twitter. The former five star QB was said to be visiting three schools in the next week and deciding on which to transfer to quickly after.

Martell’s options included: West Virginia: with a brand new coach and a QB vacancy after the departure of stud Will Grier, underachieving Miami–with an immediate need for a leader and key signal-caller, and the University of Louisville.

According to this screenshot via @SloppyBaseballs, it sure looks like Ohio State QB Tate Martell is in the NCAA's transfer portal pic.twitter.com/ZNxrOBXgWR
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) January 10, 2019

Newly anointed Louisville Head Coach Scott Satterfield has already begun to turn the tide in the Ville including potentially assembling the best staff in school history. Satterfield has been clear from the moment he touched down in Louisville that he would be looking for several QB’s and quickly brought with him former Appalachian State commit Evan Conley, who is already on campus and enrolled in the new semester.

With Puma Pass and Malik Cunningham appearing to return for the Cards this makes Conley only the third QB on the roster. Adding a talented transfer to the current QB room would be key to early success for the new staff. Tate Martell would be just that.

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But what about Netflix’s QB1: Beyond the Lights?

Maybe you’re much like me who recently watched the Netflix docu-series following three high-profile quarterbacks through their senior seasons of high school. The series–no Last Chance U or Friday Night Lights–showed both the on-field performances and off-field personalities of Jake Fromm (Georgia), Tayvon Bowers (Wake Forest), and Tate Martell (Ohio State transfer).

While I’m not here to fully dissect the show I will I simply say – Martell showed the most talent (aside from Fromm) while between the lines, but was less than impressive outside the stadium.

Martell was shown to be very concerned with his ever-growing Twitter following, his physical appearance (including on the field), and simply was shown to be very full of himself. However, I will certainly point out (and this has been stated elsewhere) that the show sought to paint him in a cocky and self-serving light and used his swagger on the field to create a fully selfish persona.

All that to say QB1 documented Martell’s rise to fame and showed the culmination to the career of possibly the most-decorated high school football player of all time. Martell in three seasons at powerhouse Bishop Gorman (NV) went 45-0, won three national titles, and was Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016. Martell may have ran his mouth in high school but he more than backed it up with his play.

What would Tate Martell bring to Louisville?

First, swagger. Martell would bring confidence, leadership, and a winning-mentality. Martell simply has not experienced losing within the last six years of his football career. After a ridiculous high school run Martell enrolled at Ohio State where although he was never the starting quarterback, he played in key spots, and the Buckeyes went 25-3 including wins in the Cotton Bowl and Rose Bowl just a few weeks ago.

Tate has been around winning coaches, elite programs, and been a part of what’s desired in Louisville. Imagine what an alpha dog like Tate Martell could have been for this year’s edition of Louisville Football. Granted he would have never even remotely considered Louisville with the former staff–but imagine the difference his swagger and winning expectations would have brought to the locker room and to the field every week.

Now imagine with me a player with the talent level of Tate under center with guys like Tutu Atwell, Dez Fitzpatrick, Seth Dawkins, and Hassan Hall. Satterfield and Co. would drool at the potential that this offense–behind a rebuilt offensive line–would have right away.

Simply put, Tate Martell to Louisville would be HUGE for the state of the Louisville Football Program. He would bring superior athleticism, swagger, and an expectation to compete at the highest level right away. Martell would the face of the program and would no longer be waiting around to show what he can do.

Martell could truly be what Baker Mayfield has been for Cleveland for this Louisville program. What this program needs is a new alpha, a new leader, and dare I say a new Lamar Jackson. Would Tate Martell win the Heisman at Louisville? Almost certainly not. But Martell would be given the opportunity to take the reins, demand more from his teammates, and bring Louisville Football back to prominence and back to consistent success.

Tate, the Big 12 isn’t for you. The U isn’t for you. What is you ask?

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A city who wants a new culture, a new identity, a new face, and one who wants to taste success again. Bring the flash, bring the passion, bring the swagger, and come be the guy in the Ville.

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