Rival Views: Should Tate Martell be No. 1?

RELEASED MONDAY: A new No. 1 player in latest Rivals100

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney don’t always see eye to eye. In the first edition of Rival Views, the two debate the dual-threat quarterback position rankings and whether Ohio State commitment Tate Martell is worthy of the No. 1 spot.

Martell is a big-time high school talent and one of the most exciting players in the country, but there are too many questions for me surrounding him. The first is his size, of course. He’ll have to be a very special player to overcome his lack of height at the next level and beyond. Now don’t get me wrong, I think Ohio State is a great fit for him offensively, but we never rank kids based on where they are headed because there can be so many coaching changes (Tom Herman, etc). So in every case it’s simply based on how they rank at their position, how they will do at the next level and if they would be coveted by the NFL.

For Martell to live up to his current lofty ranking he would need to have an amazing career at Ohio State and end up as a first- to third-round draft pick. With his size issues, I am unsure he could pull a Russell Wilson or Johnny Manziel in that regard. The other concerns I have are his inability to handle criticism, which has been proven a few times on social media sensitivity, how well he will handle competing and possibly having to wait his turn. Also, his three college commitments concern me as a future decision-maker and leader. I think he’s one of the kids in this class that could need to be de-recruited the most because he’s a star on the high school level and that might have gone to his head.

My top guy is Dylan McCaffrey despite his mechanical throwing issues. I think he’s a superior athlete, he has the size coveted at the quarterback position and he could be special. I’ll also admit I don’t mind the bloodlines there. However, as a group the analyst team decided it should be Martell No. 1, Elite 11 winner Tua Tagovailoa should leapfrog McCaffrey at No. 2 and Dylan should be third, but there are two more evaluations coming up. I don’t put a ton of stock into Elite 11 results, as the majority of the Elite 11 finalists end up transferring out or simply flopping, but others felt Tua deserved the bump based on winning the contest and doing so well at The Opening. I'll take a kid with size, athleticism and a quiet confidence who can handle criticism and learns maturity from a father who played in the NFL and a brother who is a college superstar.

I’ve known Tate Martell for years, ever since he was in middle school. The two things that stand out to me most about him are his unflinching confidence in himself and his teammates and his incredible competitiveness level.

Martell is phenomenal in games, with unique abilities to make the toughest throws look easy, to put the ball right on the money time and time again, to prolong plays with his athletic ability so receivers can come back and get open, and to always show up in the big moments. In his sophomore and junior seasons, Martell played in a lot of huge, big-time high school football games and never once did he crack under the pressure. He thrives under it.

The Ohio State commit sometimes gets criticized for being a media darling or for how he looks, taking posed pictures, etc., but I don’t buy into that. Every top quarterback believes he’s the best and he needs to exude that confidence so his teammates buy in. His teammates love him and listen to him even in the offseason.

Martell and a lot of top Gorman players travel all over the West for 7-on-7 tournaments. They play all day and night and usually win. Martell sometimes organizes the trip and usually calls his own plays throughout the day.

Ohio State should be the perfect situation for him. Urban Meyer is no-nonsense and almost always gets the best out of his players. If Martell goes there, listens and learns, he could be a special player who puts up big numbers. The kid is an absolute winner on every level and that’s why I think he deserves to be the No. 1 dual-threat QB in this class.