Buckeye Bits: Tate Martell says he learned quarterback standards from Barrett, Burrow, Haskins

As we await No. 13 Ohio State’s 7:00 p.m. ET tip-off against Penn State, let’s dive into what else is going on in Buckeye Nation and beyond.

Munford & Sons...

First, senior offensive tackle Thayer Munford released a highlight video on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, in which he officially deemed himself and his fellow offensive linemen “Munford & Sons.”

Munford’s decision to return to Ohio State for one more year was an incredibly pleasant surprise. Last season, he allowed zero sacks on 224 pass-block snaps, per Pro Football Focus who graded him as the fourth-best Big Ten offensive tackle (behind three first-round NFL draft picks) in early January.

Ohio State will now have both of its starting offensive tackles for 2021, with Munford at left tackle and Nicholas Petit-Frere at right. Paris Johnson will likely play on the interior, with Harry Miller, Matthew Jones or Luke Wypler at center, and possibly Dawand Jones at guard or tackle.

Ohio State wins Instagram

This probably won’t surprise you if you’ve watched even a morsel of the highlight videos the Ohio State Football creative team puts out before games, but Ohio State’s Instagram account generated the most interactions (over 19 million) in 2020 than any other team, per SkullSparks.

New number, who dis?

Some of the Buckeye freshmen posted their new jersey numbers to Instagram today. More-than-likely-RB-1 TreVeyon Henderson will sport No. 32 in honor of his grandfather, wide receiver Jayden Ballard will be No. 10, offensive tackle Zenuae Michalski will be No. 65 and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams will sport No. 91.

Others Lettermen Row’s Jeremy Birmingham noted were defensive back Jantzen Dunn (No. 24), all-purpose back Evan Pryor (No. 21), quarterback Kyle McCord (No. 12) and defensive back Denzel Burke (No. 26).

Martell is on the loose

After opting out of the 2020 season, Miami quarterback and former Ohio State signee Tate Martell has entered the NCAA transfer portal once again.

Martell played in five games in 2019, was moved to wide receiver at one point and then back to quarterback. He completed one pass for seven yards, had seven carries for seven yards, and did not catch a pass.

Before his time at Miami, the Las Vegas Bishop Gorman alum signed with Ohio State in 2017 as the No. 2 quarterback in the country. However, after sitting behind J.T. Barrett, Joe Burrow, Dwayne Haskins and then the Buckeyes ultimately landing Justin Fields in the transfer portal, Martell transferred to Miami before the 2019-20 season.

He released an emotional video on Instagram explaining his decision, with nods to Barrett, Burrow and Haskins.

As for his next stop in his college football journey, Martell’s 247Sports Crystal Ball is currently predicting UNLV, which would make sense as it’s not far from where Martell earned his reputation as a quarterback sensation for Bishop Gorman High School.

Fitzgerald isn’t going anywhere...

Northwestern head coach and former star linebacker Pat Fitzgerald has agreed to a new 10-year contract that stretches through the 2030 season. Through 15 seasons, he has become the winningest coach in team history with a 106-81 record, including two 10-win seasons, four consecutive bowl-wins and two Big Ten championship appearances.

Go Bucks!

That’s it! Time to switch our attention over to the Big Ten Network and cheer on our Basketball Bucks! And if you need caught up on all things Ohio State men’s basketball, check out our game preview or listen to this podcast.