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Tate Martell granted immediate eligibility at Miami

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Former Ohio State and current Miami quarterback Tate Martell will be eligible to compete in the 2019 season, according to a tweet from Martell’s Twitter account.

After a long wait, the NCAA has decided to grant Martell an eligibility waiver, allowing him to compete for the Hurricanes this fall. Typically, student-athletes who transfer from one FBS institution to another must sit out one season before earning eligibility.

Despite that rule from the NCAA, both Martell and current Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields — who transferred from Georgia — have been granted immediate eligibility for the upcoming season.

“We aren’t ready yet…but we will be!” Martell wrote on Twitter. “Oh [by the way]…I’M ELIGIBLE TO PLAY!”

Martell decided to leave Ohio State after Fields left Athens and arrived in Columbus. He provides an immediate need for Miami, which has struggled at quarterback the last two seasons.

Last season, Martell appeared in six games, completing 23-of-28 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 128 yards and two scores. Martell served as the backup to Dwayne Haskins.

Martell was expected to be the next starting quarterback at Ohio State before Fields’ decision to transfer. There would have been a serious competition for the No. 1 spot had Martell opted to remain with the Buckeyes.

Instead, Martell will finish out his career with the Hurricanes. And he’ll be getting started sooner than expected.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB