Four-Star Quarterback Tate Martell Commits to Ohio State

The country's top-ranked dual-threat quarterback, Las Vegas' Tate Martell, has committed to Ohio State.

I'm excited to announce that I
have officially committed to
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY! pic.twitter.com/fWpD7hcZ13

— Tate Martell (@TheTateMartell) June 13, 2016

Picking the Buckeyes has been something the Bishop Gorman standout has been thinking about for a while. Currently on his second visit to Columbus with his father, mother and his sister, Martell says there's no reason to hold off any longer.

"Ohio State has been my dream school," Martell told 11W about his decision. "I've got a great vibe with the coaches and it's a place that will prepare me for the next level."

Martell was committed to Texas A&M for almost a year prior to an early May decommitment, a decision that came just over a month following his first unofficial visit to Ohio State. He was offered by the Buckeyes prior to that visit, although it was not publicly reported until later.

The dynamic quarterback chose the Buckeyes over a final group of schools that included California, USC, UCLA and Colorado. It was only two weeks ago that he dropped his top seven schools on Twitter, but that list quickly dropped to five and Sunday, in a surprise decision, he's made known his intention: he's a Buckeye. Cal, where former Texas A&M offensive coordinator Jake Spavital now coaches, has been the biggest threat to Ohio State for some time.

In his two years as the starter for Bishop Gorman, Martell has yet to lose, leading the Gaels to back-to-back national championships while playing some of the top competition in the country. He's completed 59-percent of his passes in the last two seasons, tossing 72 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. He's also run for over 1000 yards and added 14 scores on the ground.

An Elite 11 finalist, Martell has earned a spot in next month's The Opening in Oregon, where he'll get his first real chance to don his recruiting cap for the Buckeyes along with eight of his future teammates. 

Ohio State quarterback coach Tim Beck is primarily responsible for the recruitment of Martell. The Buckeyes made multiple trips to Las Vegas this past spring as they evaluated the 5-foot-10, 205-pounder and each time came away impressed with what they saw. Since his March visit, Ohio State has been at the front of the pack for Martell thanks to Beck and increased communication with Urban Meyer. 

The 14th member of Ohio State's top-ranked 2017 recruiting class, Martell joins Akron Archbishop Hoban's Danny Clark at quarterback. He's the second member of the 2017 class from Bishop Gorman, joining defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, who picked the Buckeyes in February.

Eleven Warriors will have more on the commitment of Martell soon.