Tate shifting comeback to football

The Arizona Daily Star reported Wednesday night that former Cartersville High School star athlete, Donavan Tate, has been added as a quarterback on the roster of the NCAA football Arizona Wildcats.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez made the announcement Wednesday night.

Tate, who was the third overall pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, will reportedly be joining the Arizona football program this summer.

He is 26 years old and has played portions of six seasons in the minor leagues for both the San Diego Padres’ and Los Angeles Dodgers’ organizations. Tate will turn 27 in September and has not played football in eight years. His top level in the minors was Class A Advanced in the California League.

Tate was a top-100 football recruit in 2009 before turning to baseball. He was ranked as the 89th-best football prospect as a quarterback and had committed to attend North Carolina before turning pro as a baseball player.

Tate is the son of former NFL and University of Georgia football player, Lars Tate. He will be a walk-on at Arizona and will be competing at QB with returning junior starter Brandon Dawkins, sophomore Khalil Tate, and freshmen K’hari Lane and Rhett Rodriguez. The Tates are not related, but Rodriguez is son of UA coach Rich Rodriguez.

Tate signed with the Padres in 2009 for a franchise-record $6.25 million, but his baseball career was sidelined multiple times by injury and off-the-field problems with addiction. The 6-3, 200 pound outfielder dealt with a drug-related suspension and he missed the entire 2014 minor league season with a torn Achilles. He appeared in over 40 games only twice in six seasons. He hit .226 with 10 home runs and 351 strikeouts in 299 games over six minor league seasons.