Adrian Martinez to Transfer from Nebraska; Is School's All-Time Total Offense Leader
Adrian Martinez announced Thursday he's transferring from Nebraska.
Martinez leaves the Cornhuskers after having thrown for 8,495 yards and 45 touchdowns and run for 2,288 yards and 35 scores. No player in program history accounted for more yards (10,772) than the California native.
His transfer could be mutually beneficial for both parties.
Martinez can ride off into the sunset with a big year at another school a la Russell Wilson or Gardner Minshew. He's probably achieved all he can in Lincoln.
The 6'2" signal-caller should have some suitors in the Power Five given his dual-threat abilities and starting experience.
Minshew is a prime example of how transferring and finding the right fit can work wonders. He followed two largely middling years at East Carolina with a monster season at Washington State in 2018 that resulted in winning the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Maybe a change of scenery will help Martinez raise his ceiling.
The Cornhuskers, meanwhile, can continue wiping the slate clean after having already fired offensive coordinator Matt Lubick and three other offensive assistants.
Oklahoma's Spencer Rattler, UCF's Dillon Gabriel, Fresno State's Jake Haener and LSU's Myles Brennan have already entered the transfer portal. Even if head coach Scott Frost is unable to land one of the four, there will inevitably be more quarterbacks looking to move as the offseason unfolds.
Frost might also expect big things from Logan Smothers.
Smothers was the No. 14 dual-threat quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class in 247Sports' composite rankings. The Alabama native went 16-of-22 for 198 yards and one interception and ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in his lone start, a 28-21 loss to Iowa on Nov. 26.
Having already restructured his contract and reshuffled his staff, Frost is likely to be sitting on the hot seat in 2022 after Nebraska finished 3-9. Eventually, being a school legend doesn't matter if a coach isn't delivering results.
Whether it's leaning on Smothers or dipping into the transfer portal, identifying the right starting quarterback to succeed Martinez will go a long way toward turning Frost's tenure around.
