Rivalry Review: Michigan-Ohio State

In this edition of Rivalry Review, we take a look at which commitment, quarterbacks Tate Martell or Dylan McCaffrey, is the bigger get for Ohio State and Michigan respectively.

What type of player did they land? Martell is a dynamic playmaker and a proven winner at the high school level. He may not be that tall for a quarterback, but he does a good job of passing through lanes, working his way outside the pocket and throwing on the run. Martell is a solid pocket passer although his accuracy is better when he’s moving his feet. The threat to take off and run is constant and tailor-made for an Urban Meyer offense.

What makes this a big get? Martell was originally committed to Washington as an eighth grader but decomitted following Steve Sarkisian's departure for USC. Martell then committed to Texas A&M and was thought to be a perfect fit in the Aggies' offense. However, rumors of his decommitment began when the Aggies parted ways with offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and replaced him with Noel Mazzone. Enter Ohio State and Meyer, who not only landed Martell but also his best buddy Tyjon Lindsey, a dynamic receiver. This is another example of Meyer being able to recruit nationally for Ohio State and the program's lure to big-time players.

What type of player did they land? McCaffrey isn’t as dynamic as Martell, but he’s also about six inches taller and more comfortable in the pocket. While McCaffrey prefers to stand tall in the pocket and go through his progressions, that doesn’t mean that he can’t move around. In fact, his rushing statistics were similar to Martell’s prior to this season when he began passing more and running less than he did as a junior. McCaffrey doesn’t have the same compact release as Martell but he has a much bigger frame to add weight and he’s a very efficient passer with a higher completion percentage overall. And, of course, he’s a McCaffrey, so he has those bloodlines as the son of former Broncos star Ed McCaffrey and brother of current Stanford star Christian McCaffrey.

What makes this a big get? The McCaffrey name is a big one and following Christian’s season last year a whole lot of teams wanted to get the next in line. Colorado isn’t a recruiting hotbed but for Jim Harbaugh to pull Dylan out of state and away from numerous big-time programs is impressive. McCaffrey also gives Harbaugh his first truly mobile quarterback in college since Andrew Luck. If Dylan comes close to being the dynamic threat at quarterback as Christian is at running back, the Wolverines will have a signal caller that can lead them to the national title.

This is a tough call because it largely depends on what you like in your quarterbacks.

Does a lack of height scare you? Do multiple decommitments and some less-than-stellar social media moments give you pause? If that’s the case, then Martell is not your guy. McCaffrey, with the experience of his father and brothers, should be able to handle the limelight well based on the examples we have seen from the family while Martell has been seen to be a bit impulsive and sometimes too sensitive to criticism.

If you throw all of that away, Martell is the better prospect at the high school level in my book. The kid is dynamic, he’s a winner who has played much better competition and he’s improved so much as a passer.

Both players are smart with the ball. Both can extend the play and make the right read downfield or tuck and run. Both have great upside. But Martell has an extra gear. He’s scary in the open field and he can stress defenses that have to account both his passing ability and his run threat. The biggest question for Martell is maturity and if that never becomes an issue in college, he will be a star.

As for McCaffrey, there is no doubt Harbaugh will tweak his mechanics a bit and turn him into a pass-first quarterback.

Ultimately, in a tight choice, I’m going with Martell’s skills.