I dunno. I struggle with this. It's HARD to "make it" and given the right chance at the right time anyone can be a stand out. I think Tate COULD have been great at tOSU had he been the QB1 but he came in under a proven player then the Fields transfer took him out. I LOVE Fields and don't think Tate should have won the spot over him but had Fields not transferred who knows what he could have done. I also think Fields is the superior of the 2 but I don't have enough evidence/stats to prove that since one took over and the other rode the pine pony.
At OSU Tate was 23 for 28 (82.1%) with 269 yards, 1 TD, and no INT's. His rate was 174.6. That's nothing to scoff at but it's also such a small sample that it's hard to accurately surmise what MIGHT have happened. He also had 2 rushing TD's. The prob was in the way he was utilized. Goal line snaps. EVERYONE knew he was going to run. At least anyone who ever watched him in HS or knew anything about him anyway.
As a senior in HS he went 15-0 throwing for 2,362 yards and 41 TDs. He rushed for 1,253 yards and 21 TDs. That's 62 TDs he was responsible for and 3,615 yards he ate up. That doesn't happen if you're trash at any level. There are professional QBs making millions that don't touch that.
To put that into perspective, Tom Brady (the GOAT QB in my opinion) went 11-5, threw for 4,633 yards, 40 TDs, and 12 INTs, last year in his first year as the TB QB as he won the SB. His comp percentage was just 65.75%. His rate was 102.2. He had 30 rushing attempts (scrambling and dives really) for just 6 yards and 3 TD's. By this comparison, although obv on a MUCH diff scale, Tate fared better in HS/college (depending on the stat/barometric used) than the GOAT. Now, the defense and all that is also obv VASTLY diff, but still. Tate was/is no slouch.
If we compare Tate to a mobile NFL QB like Lamar Jackson we'd see Jackson had, in 2020, a completion percentage of 64.36%, 2,757 passing yards, 26 TDs, and 9 INTs. Couple that with his 1,005 rushing yards, 7 TDs, and 5 fumbles, and all of the sudden Tate doesn't really look all that trbl. His rate was 99.3 down from 113.3 in 2019 which is still lower than Tate.
Do I think Tate is the end all, be all? No. Do I think he is the GOAT or gonna be the GOAT? No. I just think that he's exactly as good as I, tOSU, Miami, UNLV, and all the recruiters and professionals that judge these types of things thought/think he was/is. He's just been dealt a shit hand.
Time will tell and honestly I could see him do nothing or maybe end up in the CFL or the arena league if that's still a thing but I could also see him break out and be a sneaky pro QB flying under the radar that won't be AMAZING but could be really solid in the right program.
Man...I'm glad football season is back. GO BUCKS!