Bishop Gorman High School quarterback Tate Martell during an off-season workout Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, at the school.
Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 | 2 a.m.
Al Martell had just woken up when his phone started buzzing. Friends told him to turn the television to ESPN2.
Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith were talking about his 13-year-old son, Tate Martell, on ESPN’s popular morning show, First Take.
The show usually is reserved for hot topics of the day. On this late-July 2012 morning, that topic was Tate.
Tate, now a sophomore quarterback at Bishop Gorman High, made national headlines by committing to play college football at the University of Washington. He hadn’t played one down of high school football, nor had he attended even one day of the eighth grade.
But Washington offered a full-ride scholarship, and Martell accepted. The outspoken Smith was furious: How could Tate’s parents allow him to make that decision at such a young age?
“He’s yelling on television, ‘What parents in their right mind would allow this?’ ” Al Martell recalled.
National signing day, when a prospect’s verbal commitment becomes official by signing a letter of intent, is Wednesday for students in the class of 2015. Most recruits have committed, and some will wait until signing day to decide.
Gaels quarterback Tate Martell (18) looks for an open receiver after being flushed from the pocket during a first half play against Bingham Utah High School at Fertitta Field on Friday afternoon.
In the summer of 2012 when Tate committed, signing day was 4 1/2 years away, meaning his nonbinding verbal commitment would have to stand the test of time. Would Tate continue to develop at the elite level Washington’s coaches predicted? With others schools still recruiting him, would he remain loyal to Washington?
Smith and others critical of the decision to recruit a 13-year-old were correct.
Three months ago, during Gorman’s run to an undefeated season and the mythical national title with 5-foot-10, 185-pound Tate leading the way, he decommitted from Washington. Of all the variables that needed to remain constant for more than four years, the most significant changed — then-Washington coach Steve Sarkisian left Seattle to become head coach at USC.
Tate now also is considering USC, as well as Arizona State and Texas Tech. Washington, a school he still is fond of, remains in play. This time, however, Tate won’t commit until closer to signing day.
“I thought I was mature enough and ready to commit at that age,” he said. “Obviously now, after opening it up a little bit, I understand there are other schools out there.”
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NCAA regulations prohibit coaches from contacting recruits directly until July 1 after their junior season. Instead, it’s common for coaches to have third parties — an older teammate or the parent of another recruit — to instruct a prospect to contact the coach at a certain time. Athletes can call coaches, but coaches can’t call athletes.
Steve Clarkson, a Southern California quarterback guru who trains top recruits, helped facilitate the meeting between the Martells and Sarkisian.
The Martells were eating lunch at a Los Angeles hotel when Sarkisian, in town for Pac-12 media days, arrived at the restaurant. They sat together for two hours and instantly made a connection.
At the time, Tate wasn’t sure where he would attend high school, but after meeting with Sarkisian, he knew where he wanted to go to college: Washington. Sarkisian had a reputation of grooming quarterbacks — USC’s Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez, and Washington’s Jake Locker all were high NFL draft picks who thrived in college under the tutelage of Sarkisian.
“We understood what the offer is: We still have to want you, and you still have to want us,” Al Martell said.
For some, Tate’s commitment raised eyebrows. For others, it’s a sign of the times.
David Sills, another Clarkson quarterback, verbally committed to USC and coach Lane Kiffin as a 13-year-old in 2010. Kiffin was fired, and Sills is enrolled at West Virginia. Dylan Moses, a 2017 linebacker, has been committed to LSU since 2013. Zadock Dinkelmann, a high school freshman in Texas, also is committed to LSU.
The trend is common in basketball, as well. Local recruits Troy Brown Jr. of Centennial High and Stephen Zimmerman of Bishop Gorman were offered scholarships to UNLV and others before playing a single high school game.
“When I was 11 years old and David Sills committed, I said: “I want that,’ ” Tate recalled. “I remember reading the article and thinking I have two more years to accomplish that.”
Even Smith, the outspoken television commentator, recognized the accomplishment of getting an offer at such an early age.
“He called up later and said, ‘Hey, man, I want you to know that’s cool for your kid. No hard feelings,’ ” Al Martell said.
• • •
Chris Petersen inherited someone else’s decision.
When Petersen was hired as the Washington coach from Boise State in 2013, he took inventory of players committed to the program and realized he already had a quarterback on the prospect board for the class of 2017.
Recruiting etiquette varies at different universities, but Petersen wasn’t obligated to honor the offer. It was nonbinding and verbal.
“But since it was so high profile, it doesn’t look good to (pull) the offer,” Al Martell said. “Usually when new coaches come in, a kid will decommit on his own.”
When Martell touched base with the new coaches, they agreed to honor the verbal offer of the previous staff but asked for Tate to attend a camp they hosted in June at the University of Redlands.
It took just a few throws at the camp for the coaches to realize they had a gem of a recruit.
After, the Martells got in the car and drove to Las Vegas. The family was moving from their home in San Diego. Tate was to play his final three seasons at Bishop Gorman.
• • •
Bishop Gorman quarterback Tate Martell (18) gives Coach Tony Sanchez a Gatorade bath after the NIAA State Championship Football game between the Bishop Gorman Gaels and the Reed Raiders at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno, Nevada.
This is what has college coaches wanting to see Tate Martell in their uniform:
Gorman trailed Centennial High of Corona, Calif., by seven points with about three minutes to play in its fourth game last season. The Gaels needed 13 yards to pick up a first down on a fourth-down play or the game would be over.
Tate dropped back to pass but immediately was pressured. He scrambled out of the pocket, avoided multiple would-be tacklers and rushed for a first down.
Gorman scored a few plays later on a Martell pass, his third TD pass of the game. On the next play, Tate hooked up with Alize Jones for a 2-point conversion to take the lead for good and save the Gaels’ undefeated season.
After the game, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White, a former Gorman student, took to Twitter and compared Tate to Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. With one Tweet, the hype reach a new level.
“It’s a cool comparison and I appreciate it,” Tate said. “But, obviously, I have a ways to go. You can’t take the comparisons to heart. It’s something to strive for, not live up to.”
Despite being Gorman’s backup quarterback the initial two games of the season, Tate became the first sophomore in Nevada history to be named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year. He completed 124 of 200 passes for 2,537 yards and 40 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He also rushed for 433 yards and five touchdowns.
“If you could clone Brett Favre and Fran Tarkenton, you would have Tate Martell,” Clarkson wrote on his website. “Tate is a gunslinger with the escape ability of a cat burglar.”
• • •
Tate knows he will be asked often about when he’ll commit again and which schools he favors.
This time, he says there’s no rush. And, who knows, maybe he’ll wind up back where he started.
“Washington will always be in the mix,” he said. “I love that school, love the area and love the coaches. They will never be out of the top schools I look at.”
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
