Bishop Gorman star QB Martell commits to Texas A&M

Bishop Gorman junior quarterback Tate Martell gets the comparisons to Johnny Manziel everywhere he goes. After all, the two share a similar size, look and style of play.

The 5-foot-11-inch, 185-pound gunslinger added one more link to the mix Thursday evening when he announced his commitment to Texas A&M.

"I'm going to Texas A&M because I feel like it's the best fit for me as a player," Martell said. "And obviously the college feel that I got when I took my visit was something else. That's the school I really want to be at for the next four years."

Martell picked the Aggies over Alabama, Michigan, Southern California and Washington.

Martell, a consensus four-star recruit and the second overall quarterback in the class of 2017, according to ESPN.com, visited College Station in late July and immediately knew it was the right school for him.

"I wasn't planning on committing this early," he said. "But when I went out to the school and checked everything out there, it just seemed like the best fit for me. I didn't want to miss an opportunity to play for a great school like that. That's where I really want to go, and I'm not changing my decision."

Martell, the Review-Journal and Gatorade state player of the year last season, first made news when he committed to Washington in the seventh grade. He decommitted from the Huskies in January, a month after former coach Steve Sarkisian left for USC.

"In seventh grade, honestly, I think if any college would've offered, he would have committed," Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez said. "The difference now is obviously he's a little more mature, and he's got a bunch of offers so now he can actually make a decision. … He's got some God-given gifts that a lot of kids don't have. The future is bright for him as long as he keeps working hard."

Martell threw for 2,537 yards and 40 touchdowns as a sophomore. He was intercepted twice. He also ran for 433 yards and five TDs in leading the Gaels to a 15-0 record and the mythical national championship.

Though he knows the comparisons to Manziel will strengthen once he steps foot on the Texas A&M campus, Martell said he is ready to create his own legacy at Kyle Field.

"I don't want to be the next Johnny Manziel, I want to be the first Tate Martell," he said. "And I'm going to prove to people when I get there that I'm a different type of player and hopefully can help lead the team to a national championship like I've done here (at Gorman)."

Contact reporter Ashton Ferguson at aferguson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430. Follow him on Twitter: @af_ferguson.