Report: Martell enters transfer portal Burns also enters portal
Former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tate Martell is back in the transfer portal, according to multiple reports on Wednesday afternoon from AL.com, Rivals and 247 Sports.
Martell intends to transfer again after initially joining Miami from Ohio State in the 2019 offseason. He spent his first two college seasons as a backup for the Buckeyes.
Martell originally lost out on the starting quarterback competition for the Hurricanes in 2019, when Jarren Williams was named the team’s starter that preseason. He made a brief switch to wide receiver at the start of the season but went back to quarterback after he didn’t find consistent playing time there either.
Martell then opted out of the 2020 season. He was suspended for the opener against UAB, but coach Manny Diaz said he expected him to be back the following week.
Then, ahead of the Week 2 game at Louisville, he opted out of the season.
The final stats for Martell, a former star high school recruit out of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High, with Miami: He completed one pass for 7 yards, didn’t make a catch as a receiver and ran seven times for 7 yards.
Martell released a video on social media on Wednesday.
“I had to go through what I went through these past four years to get where I’m about to be, and the pain that has caused is my motivation every day,” Martell said in the video. “The story’s going to change from what it’s been to this point. Now, it’s just going to take one person to believe in me. I promise it’ll be one of the best decisions they’ll ever make.”
Martell was the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year in 2016 at Bishop Gorman, which has also produced UM tight end Brevin Jordan and safety Bubba Bolden.
He developed celebrity status as he was featured on the first season of Netflix Series “QB1: Beyond the Lights.” Martell has more than 228,000 followers on Instagram and 140,000 on Twitter.
Miami redshirt junior running back Robert Burns also entered the NCAA’s transfer portal later Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Burns spent the 2020 season as the Hurricanes’ fourth running back behind junior Cam’Ron Harris and freshmen Donald Chaney J. and Jaylan Knighton. All three are returning to UM in 2021, and Miami is also bringing in four-star recruit Thad Franklin out of Chaminade-Madonna.
The Miami Gulliver product ran for 63 yards on 16 carries in 2020.