"I didn't come here to sit on the bench."
Tate Martell has been clear since arriving in Columbus last spring – he's coming to compete, and he's coming play.
Now, with the starting quarterback spot open after the departure of J.T. Barrett, Martell has his chance to prove himself and earn his playing time. And though he's battling with two veteran guys with in-game experience, Martell earnestly believes he has a chance to win the starting spot – or at the very least, is being given a fair shot to prove himself.
Though Dwayne Haskins is the guy who went in for the injured Barrett against Michigan and Joe Burrow is the most experienced of the three, Martell said the quarterback competition is completely open this offseason, with each of them getting equal reps in practice.
And though he was fourth on the depth chart last year and is the youngest of the group, Martell came to compete, and he feels it's now up to him to prove he's the best option, because he knows the coaches are going to play the best player.
"I would hope the coaches pick the best player out of the three," Martell said. "Regardless of who it is, I would hope the coaches pick the best player out of the three of us ... If you want to win a national championship, you put the best player out there."
That's why he feels he's got a real shot this offseason. There's no returning starter, and the coaches are looking for the player who emerges as the best player who gives them the best chance to win. Martell feels he has an opportunity to prove he's that player.
"If you want to win a national championship, you put the best player out there."– Tate Martell
"I feel like I have a legitimate chance because if you're the best player, you should play," Martell said. "They've got the play the best player if you want to win a national championship."
Still, the odds are stacked against him as he battles two proven veterans for the top spot. It's very possible, if not very likely, that Martell doesn't win the starting job this season.
If that's the case, many have speculated Martell would transfer rather than play backup to Haskins or Burrow for a few years – after all, he's been pretty open that he doesn't want to sit the bench. To that idea, Martell said nothing besides that he was giving this competition everything he had, and that he can't say what will happen down the road.
Martell did offer clarity about what would happen this season in the scenario he doesn't win the job, saying it's already been confirmed to him that the offense will feature special packages to get him on the field even if he doesn't start.
It would be a nice consolation, giving him a chance to showcase his playmaking ability and provide the offense with a different dimension – especially if a less-mobile Haskins is the starter.
Still, that's not the ultimate goal for Martell. Come August, he wants to be the starting quarterback at Ohio State, and he feels like he's progressing in that direction.
"I feel good with where I'm at, with what I'm doing and the progress that I'm making," Martell said. "I was hoping that after a guy left that was here like J.T. that there would be an open competition. Like I said, I didn't come here to sit on the bench."
