Tate Martell is ready to shine at Ohio State

“Beyond the wins, stats and size, Martell's smarts make him such a captivating quarterback recruit. Few high school passers have ever been as dialed in to the dimensions of an offensive attack.”

— Tyler Donohue on Tate Martell (Bleacher Report)

Tate Martell enters Ohio State as one of the top recruits in the highly coveted 2017 class. Tyler Donohue of Bleacher Report wrote a feature on the former Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) quarterback—and how he will fit at OSU.

At Gorman, Martell ran the table for the Gaels. Even when rival powerhouses came to play in Las Vegas, Martell was able to lead the team and stave off the upset. Donohue mentioned a game in Martell’s senior season, where he brought the Gaels back to life after converting a do-or-die 4th down conversion early in overtime against St. Thomas Aquinas, and then converting a two-point conversion to win the game later in overtime to seal the win.

The hype train Martell brings to Columbus might be greater than what Terrelle Pryor brought when he suited up for the Buckeyes. But, to get to OSU, the Martell train came close to going to other schools across the country. Donohue wrote about the constant success Martell had since middle school, which led to him making a verbal commitment to Washington. After the Washington phase ended, Martell committed to Texas A&M. However, after meeting with Urban Meyer, Martell decommitted from the Aggies and prepared his future for Columbus, Ohio.

Now, here we are.

Donohue also touched on interviews with Martell and conversations with recruiting beat writer Jeremy Birmingham. You can read the whole feature on Martell in the link above.

“He’s a student of the game and really coachable. And then when you’re a physically gifted kid on top of that, the game slows down. I think it all makes sense to him.”

— Richard Barrett, the high school coach of Baron Browning, as reported by Ryan Ginn (landof10.com)

Like Martell, Baron Browning is another member of the high profile 2017 recruiting class for the Buckeyes. To understand what Browning brings to the table, Ryan Ginn of landof10.com talked to Browning’s high school coach, Richard Barrett.

Ginn and Barrett touched on a wide array of topics to Browning’s success on the high school gridiron in Texas—which ultimately paved the way for Browning to be one of the higher rated recruits in the Lone State State. According to Barrett, the football experience in Browning’s family helped the Buckeye commit become a rising star. Advice from a father and brother who both played football on the college level definitely put Baron on a better path to understanding how to find success in the game.

Additionally, Barrett talked about the style of play Browning brings to the table. On the field, Browning is an aggressive defender who will make plays, according to Barrett. Off the field, Barrett said Browning is a typical jokester—like any other high school kid.

To read about the whole interview, you can click here.

“Ohio State would get to 20 overall wins and double-digit conference wins with a 7-3 finish...that kind of finish, and the Buckeyes may not need more than one Big Ten Tournament win to get into the NCAA Tournament.”

— Bill Landis on how the Buckeyes can make the NCAA Tournament (cleveland.com)

Pivoting to basketball, the Buckeyes are clawing their way back into the NCAA Tournament conversation. After stringing together a few early losses—and sliding on that slippery slope—in the waxing moments of Big Ten conference play, the Buckeyes now stare down a portion of the schedule that can bring them into a comfortable position when March rolls around.

With 10 games left to play in the regular season, Bill Landis at cleveland.com broke it down on how the Buckeyes can punch their ticket to the Big Dance. With Maryland, Wisconsin and Michigan State all on the docket, wins here would help Matta’s crew convince the committee that, yes, the Buckeyes are a tourney team, according to Landis.

On the flip side, if the Buckeyes can keep their head above water in conference play, a decent run in the Big Ten tournament might be enough to get in the tournament. As it stands right now, Jerry Palm at CBS Sports has the Buckeyes in by the skin of their teeth, while other brackets have the Buckeyes on the outside looking in.

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