Nebraska Football: Adrian Martinez not slacking in preparation for 2020

Nebraska football is counting on Martinez in 2020.

Let’s face it, it was hard to ignore. Adrian Martinez was a polarizing figure last year. His play at times would be awesome, and he would show glimpses of the talented player he was his freshman year. However, there were other times when he just looked off. Unfortunately, there were more times when he looked off than when he showed the playmaking ability he possessed in his first season.

The Freshman All-American really didn’t have to work that hard last offseason. He knew the job was his heading into his second year. Personally, I think it showed a little bit. The same type of aggressiveness and decisiveness that he showed in his first year was not really there his second year.

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As head coach Scott Frost told Steven M. Sipple of HuskerOnline, Martinez is not taking the starting job for granted this season. Apparently, he is training harder than ever before. This is certainly good to see. A little quarterback competition never hurt anybody, and I got the idea a couple weeks ago that a competition was in full effect. As Frost noted, Martinez seems to be focused and on the right track for success.

It’s worth noting that the 2020 Nebraska football schedule presents a very daunting task. That schedule would not be easy for any quarterback, let alone one who experienced a drop in play last year. Nevertheless, all eyes are going to be on him. For that reason, it’s good to hear that he is taking things a bit more seriously than he did last season.

For the record, I’m not saying that he didn’t care about what he was doing. I’m just happy he is showing a bit more pep in his step.

"“..Asked for specifics, the coach said, “I think it’s just his mindset and his approach. He came in his first year and had to compete for that spot, and he looked like a competitor every single day in practice.”“Year 2, because of the situation, I think he was able to put it in cruise control a little more, and I think that showed up on the field a little bit,” Frost said. “That’s not to put everything on him. There’s a lot of things he couldn’t control. But I don’t think he’ll be lax in his preparation ever again.”"

There is no doubt that he is a great quarterback who has a tremendous dual- threat ability and arm. If we could get even 70% of the Adrian Martinez we saw during his freshman year, that would be ideal.

It’s good to hear that Martinez is taking his time to prepare this year. This is a make-or-break year for him. Last year, we could have chalked up his performance to a sophomore slump. This year, all eyes will be on him. Especially with a talented quarterback in Luke McCaffrey waiting in the wings, he has little room for error. The stakes are higher than ever.

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