Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Diaz: ‘Pretty clear’ Martell stays at Miami
CORAL GABLES — In the aftermath of Tate Martell losing out in the Miami Hurricanes’ quarterback competition to Jarren Williams, coach Manny Diaz and UM players feel confident the redshirt sophomore who transferred in from Ohio State this offseason will stay with the Hurricanes.
Martell was at practice on Tuesday after he reportedly missed practice Monday, the same day Williams, the redshirt freshman, was named the starter after the three-headed competition that also involved redshirt sophomore N’Kosi Perry.
“Everything was pretty clear that he was with us,” said Diaz at the Hurricanes’ Media Day on Tuesday, of a private meeting with Martell on Monday. “We told them [Martell and Perry] right now that we felt it was too close to call for who the backup would be, so we want both of those guys to fight that out to find out. I know it’s the old story, but you’re a snap away.”
Two teammates who are close to Martell after playing high school football with him at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, tight end Brevin Jordan and Bubba Bolden, also relayed confidence that he’ll stick around in Coral Gables.
“I talked to Tate last night. I was with him last night, and he seemed positive he seemed like he was in a good place and he’s just trying to come out and just help in any type of way,” said Bolden, who transferred in from USC. “He realizes where he’s at. He knows that it’s a long season, anything could happen. He’s next man up, you know. Most definitely he’s going to stay.”
Jordan was not as certain but still optimistic.
“He’s in good spirits right now. I mean, I don’t know his plans,” Jordan said. “He’s on the team. He’s here at the University of Miami, and that’s all that really matters right now.”
Ahead of Media Day, a UM source told the South Florida Sun Sentinel, in a message in response to how Martell took the news, “He’s good.”
Diaz, on the Joe Rose Show on 560-AM on Tuesday morning, was asked about Martell and said: “I thought all three guys took it very well. Sort of the message was, ‘Let’s get back here, and let’s get back ready to work.’ ”
Martell missing practice on Monday was first reported by 247Sports on Monday night and later by The Athletic. A UM spokesperson would not comment on Martell’s practice attendance, but said, “Tate Martell is on our roster.”
Like Martell, Perry also was at practice on Tuesday.
Martell transferred to Miami in January and was cleared for immediate eligibility in March. He competed with Williams and Perry throughout the spring and two weeks of fall camp before a decision was made to start Williams.
Diaz has said competition will continue to determine the backup quarterback.
“We told all the guys that the competition was very close, that by no means, that even when Jarren won, that that doesn’t mean that he’s perfect and without flaw or the idea that he doesn’t have to improve,” Diaz said on the radio. “We told all of them that they all took massive strides, because they have. They’ve really improved, and they all need to continue to improve.
“To me, that’s all part of it. That’s the nature of the position. You want one guy. I feel, for a long time, we’ve been needing a guy to be our quarterback at Miami instead of kind of going back and forth.”
Diaz also broke down what he likes about Williams’ game.
“His arm talent was obviously very, very good, and I think there were some instinctual things in terms of understanding a position and sort of quarterbacking, having a great feel of where to go with the ball, and I think his determination and toughness,” he said.
Diaz expanded on what went into the evaluation process. “We were pretty consistent in terms of our evaluation throughout the entire time, in terms of what mattered to us: Eliminating the critical errors and then it comes down to decision-making, accuracy and then does the guy have a little bit of a knack for maybe making something special happen,” Diaz said.
“I would sit there and watch during training camp and I’d say, ‘We can do this with any of these three guys.’ It was really like that. I really feel like all three guys had elevated their play starting from spring, but even from guys that were with us last season.”