Adrian Martinez, Kansas State Football News: Draft Scout Player News

08/18/22 - QB Adrian Martinez, rSr/2023, Kansas State

There is much to like about the football statistics Adrian Martinez piled up during his four seasons at Nebraska, but he was far from a perfect quarterback for the Cornhuskers. He actually made so many mistakes with his previous team that many have labeled Martinez as turnover-prone. Martinez has vowed to shed that reputation now that he is the presumptive starter at Kansas State. But that's not an easy task. Fortunately, he is now playing for an offensive coordinator who knows a thing or two about taking care of the football. Collin Klein only threw 15 interceptions when he played quarterback at Kansas State a decade ago. On top of that, the passer he coached the past five seasons in Manhattan, Skylar Thompson, only tossed 16 interceptions during his 45 games with the Wildcats.

Martinez accounted for more than double those turnovers while he was at Nebraska, throwing 30 interceptions and losing a handful of costly fumbles over the course of 39 games. Teaching him to continue making impressive plays with both his arm and his feet while also limiting turnovers has been one of Klein's top priorities during preseason camp. He even had a speech prepared to help Martinez stop throwing so many picks. "You cannot say, 'Hey, I can't turn this ball over.' No, you can't think like that," Klein said earlier this week. "But you can think of, 'Hey, how do I manage the football game? How do I make smart decisions?' You can't think, 'Hey, I have got to go win the game on this play.' You have got to let the system and the machine do its work and trust your teammates and understand not to force anything." We'll do it on the next one. I think we've made strides in that area." - The Kansas City Star

rSr/2023