Finding the right fit for your college football program isn't just about what happens on the field, but off it as well. Today, Ohio State added a key piece. How will that commitment impact the Buckeyes?
Ohio State earned the commitment of three-star Michigan athlete Cam Martinez on Thursday. Martinez is rated as the No. 22 athlete in the class and the No. 8 prospect coming out of Michigan.
Let's take a look at the influence his commitment will have on Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class.
On The Field
Martinez is one of the most versatile athletes that will commit to Ohio State in the 2020 class. He’s been named All-State every year he’s played varsity at Muskegon High School because he works from the quarterback position and makes plays primarily on the ground.
He set several Muskegon records in 2018, when he carried the ball 254 times for 2,527 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns. He won’t play quarterback at the collegiate level, but he is the smartest and most athletic player on his team. Much of his contribution to Muskegon is improvised running around the field, making entire defenses chase him.
When he arrives in Columbus, he will likely be worked out at wide receiver and eventually moved to safety, where his future is most likely. Brian Hartline and Jeff Hafley have been working with him on what to expect at both positions.
There have been many concerns about Martinez and whether he can catch the ball or not, but he put many of those questions to bed during The Opening Regionals in Massillon on March 31, where he made defensive backs look silly and made catches a typical quarterback wouldn’t be able to make. His ratings have not seen much of an incline because he works from the quarterback position at the high school level, unable to show what he can do from other positions.
His intelligence about the game makes him a good fit at safety, where he can see the field and be a primary communicator.
In The Class
The value in a player that is as versatile as Martinez is that he can fit nearly anywhere the coaching staff wants him to – almost like a utility man in baseball.
Ohio State doesn’t really have a player like Martinez in its class yet. It has players like Ty Hamilton, Lejond Cavazos and Jakob James, who can play different types of roles within their positional groups, but to be able to move between sides of the ball, like Martinez can with receiver and safety, is something new to this class.
Versatility is what collegiate coaches are looking for more and more every year because of the ability to have players to fall back on in times of need and to have the best minds on the field in specific scenarios. Martinez gives that flexibility to Ohio State.
Off The Field
Cam Martinez is a guy teams want to have on their team. He’s a solid locker room guy and can fit into nearly any positional group he’s placed into. The quality that jumps out about Martinez is his natural ability to lead and the comfort he has in being himself on a football field.
He’s needed to be “the guy” for his entire high school career. The improvising on the field, where Muskegon came and went with Martinez’s performances, started during his freshman year, when he led his team to a state title appearance from the quarterback position. There aren’t many safeties or wide receivers that have that type of leadership experience at that age – or ever.
That experience shows in the way Martinez carries himself. He has a lot of confidence, and even though he has found very little failure during his high school days, he still carries a chip on his shoulder.
As an example, Martinez hadn’t spent much time at receiver before The Opening Regionals in Massillon on March 31, but no one would have guessed that because of the way he seemed to be comfortable, not only during his reps but outside of his reps, when he walked around mingling with other recruits before casually stepping to the line for his next rep.
That’s half of what makes Martinez a desirable recruit. Having a guy like him inside of a locker room can work wonders.
