Why I hope Tate Martell sticks it out at quarterback even if he isn't named Ohio State's starter

I’m assuming that Tate Martell is not the guy in 2018.

Nothing is a given, but based on we saw in the spring game, Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow look like legitimate starting quarterbacks.

That’s not a knock on Martell, who was clearly the best runner of the bunch on Saturday. His athleticism is going to give him a chance to play. When he gets that chance remains to be seen.

After redshirting his freshman year, Martell suggested that he’d be open to the idea of a position switch if he didn’t win the quarterback job in his second season in Columbus.

“Yeah I think that regardless I’ll be doing something on the field,” Martell said via Cleveland.com after Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl win. “Whether that’s quarterback … who knows what position? I’ve played a lot of them this year on scout. Definitely gonna go out and do my thing and try to stay with quarterback. That’s what I want to do.”

Given where Martell came from, that’s an understandable comment. He was the National Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016. He had a national reputation before he even arrived in Columbus.

Of course he wants to play.

When he made the comment, I liked the idea of him being flexible if it meant getting on the field and helping the team out. But after watching him on Saturday and thinking about Ohio State’s quarterback situation, I wouldn’t mind seeing him stick it out at quarterback.

In a limited sample size, Martell showed that he still has to improve as a passer in order for him to be ready to lead a national championship contender like Ohio State in 2018. Can he eventually? Absolutely. The potential is there.

Lord knows he doesn’t need any help in the running department. I would’ve been curious to see how many real yards Martell would’ve racked up on Saturday playing with normal tackling rules. He was elusive, he kept defenders guessing and he had to be accounted for at all times because of his mobility. That’s a good trio for a quarterback to have.

I mean, how many quarterbacks can do this in a game of one-hand touch?

This move Tate Martell put on Wayne Davis 😱 pic.twitter.com/O301ymkGWk

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 14, 2018

The thinking is that those qualities would make him an interesting option as some sort of non-quarterback ball-carrier. Maybe it’s as an H-back, though Ohio State is already loaded at that position.

Maybe Urban Meyer would do what James Franklin did with Tommy Stevens. The Penn State backup became a legitimate part of the offense in 2017, lining up in the slot and running jet sweeps or even catching passes. Certainly a role like that would be intriguing for Martell.

But like Stevens, I’d hope that Martell would still keep his place on the quarterback depth chart.

Ohio State is going to need some depth at the position, especially in the event that Burrow leaves as a graduate transfer during the offseason. Even if that doesn’t happen in 2018, Burrow could certainly leave Columbus next year if he doesn’t beat out Haskins for the job this year.

There’s also another scenario that could unfold. Maybe I’m just getting ahead of myself, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Haskins had a huge 2018 and went off to the NFL at season’s end. If Burrow is indeed already gone, the job belongs to Martell in 2019.

Is that enough to make Martell want to stay at quarterback? Who knows.

It’s too bad that Martell left before interviews in the post-spring game hoopla. I would’ve been very curious to hear how he felt about his role moving forward.

Selfishly, I want to see what he can do with the keys to the offense. Watching Martell put B1G linebackers on skates would be must-see T.V. Throw in his big personality and there would be plenty of intrigue regarding the Ohio State quarterback. Getting to watch him develop at quarterback would be fascinating.

Hopefully the spring game served as a reminder that he’s undoubtedly a special talent. It certainly reminded me of that.

Martell is right, though. He didn’t go to Columbus to sit on the bench and wait to play until he’s an upperclassman. Nobody will fault him if he does decide that his path to playing time — and perhaps to an NFL future — isn’t at quarterback.

But man, I hope he sticks it out.