B/R Recruiting Breakdown: Ohio State QB Commit Tate Martell

Each week, Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue analyzes a different prospect based on in-person evaluation and intensive film study. Here's our latest scouting report of a promising young athlete and how he projects as a college player.

Few prospects so well represent this modern age of long-term college football recruiting as Tate Martell, who gained national notoriety in middle school. Now underway with his senior season at Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School, the coveted quarterback began collecting scholarship offers four years ago and is two months into a third verbal commitment. 

Martell, a Southern California product who transferred from Poway High School prior to his sophomore year, joined Ohio State's top-ranked 2017 class in June. He follows an impressive group of passers who've opted to continue their career under the guidance of Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer.

Now five months shy of national signing day, Martell seems comfortable with his collegiate outlook in the aftermath of previous pledges to Texas A&M and Washington. His initial commitment to the Huskies occurred before eighth grade.

He spearheads one of the most star-studded rosters in prep football, delivering consecutive undefeated seasons at Bishop Gorman. The program has picked up where it left off last fall, starting a highly anticipated 2016 season with victories over Cedar Hill (Texas) and Cocoa (Florida). 

Martell, firmly in the mix as a National Player of the Year candidate, posts prolific production. His abbreviated Bishop Gorman career features 5,553 passing yards, 1,280 rushing yards, 94 total touchdowns and just eight interceptions, according to MaxPreps.

Faced with expectations rarely seen at the high school level, Martell is among the most fascinating recruits in his class. Our latest B/R breakdown places a spotlight on this Elite 11 finalist.

The Basics

High School: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Size: 5'10 ½", 203 lbs

Recruitment Status: Committed to Ohio State on June 12, 2016

Prospect Assessment

• Savors showcase settings; exudes self-confidence in physical abilities but takes even more pride in his knowledge of the game. ... Conducts himself as an extension of coaching staff on the field; holds teammates accountable.
• Height will always be viewed as an obstacle for further development; measurements are likely maxed out as he is already 18 years old. ... He's done a great job building "undersized" frame, bulking up with solid mass—especially in lower body—during course of high school career.
• Well-versed pocket mechanics that are polished down to details.
• Work ethic isn't an issue here, as Martell invests extensive focus for preparation on and off the field. ... His offense should be in gear each game if this diligent approach extends into a collegiate facility.
• Among the most effectively improvisational quarterbacks we've scouted in recent cycles; keeps plays alive well beyond the time frame when others would either take a sack or toss the ball out of bounds.
• Vision remains downfield while under duress; displays a keen awareness of opponents as they approach from various angles. ... Adapts accordingly with strong footwork that swiftly sends him moving up in the pocket or laterally beyond the tackle box.
• Sells play action well, emerging balanced with a firm base and sideline-to-sideline vision. ... Decisive upon examination of route development and pulls the trigger if progression goes according to plan.
• Not an elite-level runner but can create with strong legs and penchant for finding rushing lanes; a serious threat to extend drives in short-yardage and goal-line settings.
• Will provide back-breaking gains on the ground that can rip the heart out of an overextended defense. ... Given his size, Martell must become more comfortable with sliding or escaping out of bounds in order to avoid risking injury-inducing collisions.
• Takes advantage of slight defensive lapses with devastating accuracy toward underneath and intermediate routes; understands the importance of setting up manageable third-down opportunities by gaining small chunks via a nearby outlet.
• A versatile threat in the offensive backfield due to his ability to pick opponents apart as a rusher or passer within 10 to 15 yards of scrimmage. ... Defenses must also account for a field-stretching arm that drops deep-range passes in a bucket for receivers in stride. There isn't an element of his aerial efforts that defensive coaches can cross off their list of concerns entering a contest.

Physical talent aside—and Martell possesses plenty of it—his adeptness for working through detailed progressions helps set him apart from a pack of high school passers who too often simply rely on shredding seams with velocity.

For instance, he receives this snap in shotgun at the 29-yard line with two receivers to his left and one out wide to the right. Martell immediately gravitates toward the left by slightly turning his shoulders pads and helmet in that direction, drawing the attention of an opposing safety charged with providing help on the side where his solo receiver (bottom of field; off screen) is running a post pattern:

Credit: Hudl

This brief moment of diversion stops the safety in his tracks and creates separation. Martell suddenly resets with another balanced step back in the pocket, shifts his shoulders and attention to the opposite side of the field, then fires a laser that locates the streaking receiver a stride ahead in single coverage:

Credit: Hudl

Credit: Hudl

When it comes to Martell's presence in the rushing game, let's take a look at his effectiveness in an option attack. He routinely executes these plays out of a shotgun formation, and that's an element of Ohio State's playbook he should be well-versed in upon arrival next year.

For example, Martell takes this snap set five yards deep into the backfield, two yards directly ahead of a single back:

Credit: Hudl

While the back works his way to Martell's right for a handoff, the quarterback's eyes are locked on the opposing strong-side defensive end, who is lined up between the right offensive tackle and a tight end who releases downfield without even chipping the defender:

Credit: Hudl

Once Martell identifies that the defensive end has elected to pursue the back, he rips away the ball and begins bursting toward the space once patrolled by that defender. Out in front, his tight end and a receiver are able to provide blocking escorts, and the result is a 20-yard gain along the right sideline:

Credit: Hudl

Long-Term Outlook

Martell spurned several alternative universities to take on perhaps college football's most talent-packed quarterback depth chart. Ohio State starter J.T. Barrett could return in 2017, and he's already joined in the position room by highly regarded redshirt freshman Joe Burrow and true freshman Dwayne Haskins, who was also considered a top-100 overall prospect in his class.

Ohio quarterback Danny Clark, rated No. 18 nationally among 2017 pro-style passers, is the longest-standing pledge in this Buckeyes recruiting class, while top-ranked 2018 dual-threat quarterback Emory Jones committed to Meyer this summer. There was a stretch when Martell seemed to make early playing time the paramount recruitment priority, but his outlook altered while undergoing further maturation this past offseason, and finding an ideal overall fit appeared to take precedence. 

He possesses an alpha dog personality and has been in the national spotlight throughout his high school career, so Martell should be well-equipped to handle intense competition on a high-profile campus. Though he'll never possess the prototypical size NFL scouts covet, his physical dimensions aren't far off from former Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and former Florida Gators national champion Chris Leak, who played under Meyer.

Plenty will wonder if a transfer could potentially lie ahead if Martell fails to win the starting job at Ohio State within two or three years of his arrival, but future developments in Columbus are impossible to predict. If he beats out a talented bunch of quarterbacks and emerges as Meyer's main man, his high school success and intensely focused personal fine-tuning suggest he can become the next household name to orchestrate the revered coach's offensive attack.

Quotes and observations obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue, unless otherwise noted. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.

Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.