The hype for Adrian Martinez coming into the 2019 was there.
But is Martinez playing up to the hype? The data doesn’t think so. So, what changed with Martinez’s playing from last year to this year? Last year it was Dwayne Haskins and then him in the rankings of the Big Ten quarterbacks. From there, the hype of Adrian Martinez took off.
Over the summer he got compared to the likes of Trevor Lawrence and even got some Heisman hype. Right now, the huskers are 4-3 and Adrian is not looking like last year from the general eye views.
Bleacher Report wrote about who they thought would be the best quarterback in each conference and they tabbed Martinez as the best in the Big Ten. Rightfully so, he was one of four FBS quarterbacks that averaged 225 passing yards and 50 rushing yards per game in 2018. As a true freshman Adrian was doing what only other elites have done at his position. He joined Marcus Mariota, Johnny Manziel, and J.T. Barrett as freshman quarterbacks who averaged 200 passing yards and 50 rushing yards. So, how do his stats line up to other elite quarterbacks, in that article, in 2018.
Adrian Martinez passed for 2,617 yards in the 2018 season which was slightly above the average of 2603 yards. Compared to other top quarterbacks in the country, Martinez was over hyped for the summer based on average passing yards.
Now through week seven of college football, lets see how those quarterbacks that were tabbed to have the best year in their conference are doing. Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow will also be added to the list because they are having some of the best seasons but were not on the list that Bleacher Report had at the beginning of the season.
In 2019, Martinez has fallen below the average passing yards and his average passing yards have also fallen, up to date. While Tua, Herbert, Ehlinger seem to be on pace to see similar numbers like last year, and still well above the average passing yards. Another thing that sticks out is the fall that Lawrence has taken this year. There is no doubt he is a good quarterback, on a good team that is undefeated, but his numbers have taken a hit like Martinez. Based on average passing yards, Martinez has a gap between him and true elite college quarterbacks.
Let’s get a closer look at Martinez compared to top quarterbacks and break it down to rushing vs passing yards
All of these charts show how off Martinez is from top quarterbacks when it comes to passing. Not only have his numbers dipped from own last year, but his numbers against “elite” quarterbacks that constantly get hype are significantly lower. With the exception of Trevor Lawrence, Martinez has more passing yards than him. Lawrence does have a higher percentage by about 2%. Knowing a handful of Nebraska fans, they would take lower numbers like Lawrence’s and be 7-0 than higher passing yards with a 4-3 record.
So was the hype coming into the season correct? No. But also could Adrian Martinez of just been over hyped since the beginning? Yes.
By no means is Adrian Martinez a bad quarterback, but compared to Joe Burrow, he is not having a good year.
