Martell excited about A&M future
LOS ANGELES – Tate Martell had an interesting conversation this past weekend at the Steve Clarkson Field Generals Camp, an unexpected talk that only further solidified his belief that he picked the right college.
The 2017 four-star quarterback from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman who committed to Texas A&M in August discussed the Aggies’ new offensive coordinator, Noel Mazzone, with the one person who might know best – UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, who was assisting Clarkson during the camp.
Rosen was blunt and honest about UCLA’s former playcaller. Martell soaked it all in. And Martell liked what he heard.
“(Rosen) was telling me that offense is going to fit me really well,” Martell said. “They tried to use a dual-threat in that (UCLA) offense with him and he said it wasn’t a big thing for him. He said his thing is just sitting in the pocket and getting the ball out. He’s great at that obviously, but I’m excited to get in that offense and get to work.
“That was huge talking to Josh. He was helping me with all the routes. When I was in his group, he would change the routes to the UCLA stuff, so I could go through that stuff and he was helping me fix a bunch of stuff. I was throwing the ball a lot better when he was telling me to fix this one thing. Having him out here was a big thing for me and he helped me be a better quarterback.”
Rosen’s message was music to Martell’s ears, especially since he had developed a strong relationship with former Texas A&M OC Jake Spavital, who parted ways with the Aggies after this season.
The top-rated dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 class, Martell said he knows the Mazzone family pretty well, especially Noel’s son, Taylor, who is expected to join the Texas A&M staff as well.
As the offensive coordinator situation was being settled in College Station, Martell said he was in relatively close contact with coach Kevin Sumlin and he’s happy with the pick – especially after breaking things down with Rosen.
“I know coach Taylor Mazzone pretty well and I talked to him quite often before I committed, so it was really cool,” Martell said. “I talked to Sumlin and he said I can’t tell you who, but it’s somebody you know pretty well. I had a pretty good feeling. I’m excited about it and I can’t wait to play with him.
“I talk to Sumlin quite a bit. I talked to coach Spavital before he left all the time. I would talk to him twice a week and I had a good relationship with him. Sumlin can’t talk twice a week because he has so much on his plate. I have a really good relationship with him, I can ask him anything I need, he has that open dialogue with me so that’s the good thing about it.”
It is no secret that Sumlin enters next season on the coaching hot seat, especially after quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray curiously transferred this season. The Aggies finished 8-5 and lost to Louisville in their bowl game.
For Martell, Sumlin is a crucial piece, but there’s way more that he loves about Texas A&M. A Washington commit in middle school, Martell is certain he found the right place in College Station and he wants to recruit fellow Gorman standouts there with him.
“I want to go there because I wanted to do my own thing,” Martell said. “I want to go there and hopefully help the team out a lot as a true freshman. That’s my plan. If I do that, it would be great. I hope (Sumlin) is there because that’s the guy I’m committed to, but my biggest thing is I’m committed to the university and coach Sumlin, too, because I want to be at Texas A&M.
“The biggest thing for me is when I was there, I got a really good vibe that if I wasn’t even playing football, I would still want to be there. If you’re not comfortable with the campus and your environment, you won’t have a good time. I liked the campus and all the people around there.
“Everything about it is about football. I love that. That’s been my thing since I was young, I love being around football. That’s a big thing for me.”
His two biggest targets to bring with him to Texas A&M are four-star receiver Tyjon Lindsey and defensive tackle Haskell Garrett. Ohio State is the biggest competition for Lindsey, it seems early on, and Garrett likes Notre Dame a whole lot.
But Martell, cocksure and confident as always, is adamant he can get his Gorman teammates to College Station.
The four-star is also sure he’s ready for SEC football. Despite his size (Martell is only 5-foot-10), the Gorman quarterback looks forward to the challenge, the people questioning his size, and he’s ready to put Texas A&M back on the national map.
“People have doubted me since I was really young,” Martell said. “I use all that as motivation, people telling me I can’t do it, because I’ve been doing it for years. I’ve been getting it done at Gorman and you can’t complain when you’re winning games.
“However I have to do it. If I have to run, I’ll run. If I have to pass, I’ll pass. If I have to catch the ball, I’ll get it done there. Whatever you have to do to win games, that’s my attitude.”