ARLINGTON, Texas -- Chris Worley interrupted Tate Martell's locker room interview to ask if the freshman quarterback was going out with his teammates to a party that night in Dallas, a celebration of Ohio State's Cotton Bowl win over USC and for the seniors, a celebration of the end of a college career.

Martell looked confused. He had no idea what Worley was talking about. He's not on that level yet.

There was a time when Martell forced the on-field, and likely social, agenda for his team. That time ended when he left Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman for Ohio State last winter, bringing with him a spotlight and profile uncommon even for a program that's making the signing of five-star prospects routine.

His life is a little bit different now.

Martell had a reputation that preceded his arrival in Columbus, that of a cocky kid with a little bit of Johnny Maziel to him, a little bit of Baker Mayfield, and but also a kid who won -- a lot. Like most freshmen who show up to Urban Meyer's program thinking they're hot stuff, Martell quickly learned through a redshirt season that getting on the field at Ohio State would require patience.

"There was a point when I just bought into what the coaches were talking about," Martell said. "It changed me as a person and it changed me as a player. I'm a much better player than I was when I came in here. I feel like when my time comes, and I get a chance to show it, I'll be ready to go."

Well, the time is now. Maybe.

J.T. Barrett's career is over. There will be a quarterback battle this spring between Dwayne Haskins, Joe Burrow and Martell. Haskins is the favorite. Martell is setting out to win it.

"I mean what else would I want?" he said. "I didn't come here to sit on the bench."

It will be difficult for Martell, or Burrow, to undo all that Haskins has done to position himself as the heir apparent -- including helping Ohio State win the 2017 Michigan game. Perhaps the more apt question concerning Martell is if the coaching staff will find a role for him anyway?

Not the mop-up No. 2 role, which might already be his if Burrow does indeed graduate and transfer after this spring. We're talking about a real role within the offense for Martell regardless of who wins the starting quarterback job.

"Yeah I think that regardless I'll be doing something on the field," Martell said. "Whether that's quarterback ... who knows what position? I've played a lot of them this year on scout. Definitely gonna go out and do my thing and try to stay with quarterback. That's what I want to do."

There's an interesting prospect in there.

Martell's skill set is totally different from the other two quarterbacks in this competition. He's closer to Braxton Miller than any quarterback Ohio State has had since, but we won't go too far in making that comparison just yet. Too early, and Martell hasn't earned that yet.

Just know that Martell spent time on scout team this year mimicking Mayfield and Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley. When the Buckeyes were trying to get a good look for USC running back Ronald Jones in bowl prep, Martell played that role too. He's versatile and dynamic, and could be used as something other than a quarterback next year if Ohio State wanted to go down that road.

Don't forget Meyer's description of Martell's playing style from last summer: "Tate gives us a weapon," he said.

"Tate is shifty," offensive tackle Jamarco Jones said last week in Dallas. "He's quick back there. He's not afraid to throw the ball around. He's a lot faster than I expected him to be. Seeing him in drills and stuff, he's pretty quick. He makes guys miss a lot. He gets outside of the pocket and he's very dangerous."

But this could also be a dangerous road for Martell to travel.

Ohio State is too deep at receiver and running back to envision any kind of permanent position change for Martell. That's not exactly what we're talking about either. It's more of a package of plays for Martell to bring a kind of running element that neither Haskins nor Burrow has. Or putting him in the backfield with another quarterback in the way we saw both Penn State and Oklahoma use their talented backup quarterbacks this season.

But if you're Martell, you also don't want to get hemmed in as a "gadget" kind of player, one that will never be taken seriously when it comes to winning the real quarterback job. So there's a balance here for him. He wants to get on the field next year, but he also wants to be a future starter. Opening the door to being something other than a quarterback in 2018 could hurt his future chances.

Perhaps that's getting ahead of things a bit, but it's a consideration to make for any player in Martell's position who wants to prove he can play quarterback at this level but in the meantime might have an opportunity to play another position. Torrance Gibson was moved from quarterback to receiver upon his arrival in 2015, and it never felt like he was going to get a chance to play quarterback.

Martell also isn't exactly an "athlete" who's been forced into the position. He can throw, and has been a quarterback his entire life.

"Coach (Ryan) Day has helped me a ton with my mechanics and stuff throughout the season," Martell said. "That's the thing I became a lot better at, is throwing the ball. My speed went up a ton because of Coach Mick (Marotti) getting me stronger and faster, but I'm way better throwing the ball right now. I feel like I can throw the ball with anybody."

So let's put the possible gadget stuff on hold for now, and focus on the quarterback competition this spring. Can Martell actually win it?

Of course he's confident he can. As much as Martell has changed since coming to college, he hasn't lost his confidence in his own abilities. Clearly.

Haskins has the big arm. Burrow has touch, and is a playmaker kind of in the same vein as Barrett. Martell is different, elusive with a strong arm, capable of wow plays with his legs but also some stuff that might make Meyer pull his hair out.

Martell has a game to match the big personality that he brought to Columbus. But ...

"I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm past all that stuff," he said.

And you could hear the sincerity with which he said it. The kid who may or not have tweeted from the sideline during a high school game says he's grown up, but the player hasn't changed.

That makes him a threat in this competition, even if the chance to compete is coming a little later than he would have liked.

"It wasn't like, 'OK I'm cool with it,' or anything like that," he said. "I knew my role, with a guy like J.T. here -- look what he did -- he's done everything he can to help this program and deserves everything he's gotten here. It was good for me to sit behind him. I'm glad that he stayed and came back for this year, because now I know what I need to do when I become the starting quarterback."