Tate Martell Enters Game at QB Midway Through 2nd Quarter of Independence Bowl vs Louisiana Tech

It's really happening!

And by "it," we mean "Miami's sad knockoff of LSU's whole 'Ohio State transfer QB' strategy."

After not throwing a single pass during the 2019 regular season, Martell warmed up midway through the second, quickly loosening up his arm in an effort to improve upon Jarren Williams' 0 points scored on Louisiana Tech's defense.

And, just as swiftly as it began to develop, he was in the game.

His first snap? A QB run and a solid gainer. His first third down? Converted, on a nice throw down the left sideline.

Martell's journey has been well-chronicled. We watched him sift through seemingly endless offers to commit to Washington, then Texas A&M, then Ohio State, before departing after Justin Fields proved to be more than capable of replacing him. He then declared that he'd suffered similar hardship to the racism Fields encountered at UGA by...being near Zach Smith's scandalous ouster.

He lost his job before 2019 even began, the FAU rumors began to bubble, and just like that, Martell's name was more of a curiosity than something that came with pedigree. But, in real life, he was once the most talked-about 14-year-old in an exceptional QB class.

No, he did not score on his first drive on Thursday. Didn't get past midfield. Good to have you back.