Five-star 2017 quarterback Tate Martell chooses Texas A&M

On Thursday night Kevin Sumlin and the Texas A&M Aggies kicked off the 2017 football recruiting season in style, landing a commitment from one of the nation's top overall prospects and quite possibly the No. 1 quarterback in the Class of '17.  

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) junior sensation Tate Martell tweeted out his intentions at 9:00 pm Texas time, ending his recruitment in what was — considering the magnitude of his pledge and the amount of recruiting attention he's already received — a rather understated manner. 

There was no hat shuffle, no spectacle, just an elite-level signal-caller choosing Texas A&M for the third time in four classes. Considered by some the nation's top-ranked signal-caller, Martell joins Kyler Murray (Class of '15) and Kyle Allen ('14) as quarterbacks who were sitting at the top of Jake Spavital's coast-to-coast wish list to choose the Maroon & White.

The 5-11, 180-pound dual-threat looks like a picture-perfect fit in A&M's record-setting, fast-paced spread offense. Martell is comfortable operating out of the shotgun, has exceptional mechanics for a player his age (or at any age, for that matter), gets rid of the ball quickly and has a cannon arm capable of making every throw.

He also delivers a very catchable ball, and it's clear that he sees the field like a veteran college quarterback. That allows him to rip through his progressions and find the open receiver faster and with more efficiency than anyone available in the '17 ranks.

Martell's ability to carve up a defense with his arm is enhanced by his skill as a runner. In addition to being able to feel and avoid pressure, extend plays and hit his receivers downfield, he's a good enough runner to gash a defense on either improvised scrambles or designed runs.  When I watch the youngster's highlights it's easy to see why he draws comparisons to Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson — but I also see some Drew Brees and, if I'm throwing it way back, Fran Tarkenton.

Like current Aggie freshman Kyler Murray, Martell led his team to a state title as a sophomore. He showed recruiters from coast-to-coast that he was a big-time, big-game performer early last fall by throwing for 230 yards and two TDs in a 34-31 win over then-No. 1 St. John Bosco High School in a Nevada/California showdown between the top two teams in America.

Because the Ags had inked Allen and Murray back-to-back, they essentially chose to take a pass on a quarterback in the 2016 class rather than settle for a second-tier quarterback for the sole purpose of improved depth. They're perfectly content waiting on a talent like Martell; his arrival will be timed up perfectly for him to step in and compete very early in his A&M career. Without a redshirt season, he'll be two classes behind Murray and three years behind Allen in the Aggie QB room.

So, Sumlin and Spav rolled the dice a bit, opting to go big-game hunting in the '17 ranks. Incidentally, the Aggies' gamble paid off in Vegas, where Martell emerged as A&M's top target at the glamour position during a record-setting sophomore season.

Last fall Martell led Gorman to the Nevada 6A state championship while racking up a slew of top-25 offers, throwing for 2,537 yards and 40 touchdowns along the way. He earned National Sophomore of the Year honors thanks to a 20:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and nearly 3,000 yards of total offense, including 433 yards and five scores on the ground.

By season's end, Bishop Gorman ranked No. 1 on USA Today's Top 25 and Martell had emerged as one of the most coveted sophomores in the country, regardless of position.

Martell — who once-upon-a-time committed to Washington and Steve Sarkisian prior to his eighth-grade season — ultimately chose A&M over UW, runner-up USC (Sark's current program), Alabama and Michigan, making him one of the most high-profile commitments of a Kevin Sumlin Era that includes more than its share of five-star signees.  

The Bishop Gorman star is likely to have a pied-piper effect on the Ags' Class of 2017. As well known as any recruit in the country, Martell has already made it clear that he intends to help Sumlin and Co. attract even more game-changing talent to College Station.

He's likely to start that movement at home, where Spavital and the Aggies have already offered Bishop Gorman classmates WR Tyjon Lindsey and DT Haskell Garrett.

For TexAgs Premium members, view a full commitment interview with Tate Martell here.