Staying home meaningful to this St. Thomas OL. But is it enough for Canes to sway him?
When Marlon Martinez first committed to the LSU Tigers, the University of Miami Hurricanes, realistically, didn’t have much of a chance.
Miami had started recruiting the St. Thomas Aquinas offensive lineman a bit too late in the process, while LSU was the first Power 5 Conference program to seriously start recruiting him. Although Martinez said the Hurricanes were one of the teams he was considering, the Tigers were the obvious choice May.
“They started talking to me very early on — sophomore year — and I formed a really good relationship with the coaches,” Martinez said Wednesday after a practice at Brian Piccolo Stadium, “so that really stuck with me.”
Nothing has changed in his relationship with LSU since he made his oral commitment. His relationship with Miami, however, has grown stronger.
A three-star guard in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2020, Martinez has emerged as one of the Hurricanes’ top targets along the offensive line in recent months.
The 6-5, 287-pound senior watched Miami beat the Central Michigan Chippewas at Hard Rock Stadium last month, and offensive line coach Butch Barry made the trip up to Fort Lauderdale on Friday to watch Martinez and the Raiders beat Deerfield Beach, 28-7.
These aren’t just one-off interactions between Martinez and the hometown team. The lineman said he talks with Miami’s coaching staff “a good amount” as the Hurricanes make an effort to keep another of South Florida’s best linemen home.
“They love the way I play,” Martinez said. “I feel like I’ve been getting better my whole high school career and I really felt like they like the way I play.”
This season, Martinez has been a key cog for one of the best teams in the country. St. Thomas Aquinas is the No. 5 team in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and Martinez is the starting right guard, paving the way for a productive group of running backs.
In recent recruiting classes, Miami has struggled to keep some of the region’s best offensive linemen home. In the current recruiting cycle, the Hurricanes have already missed out on four-star Norland tackle Issiah Walker Jr., who committed to the Florida Gators on Oct. 5, and aren’t seriously in the mix for Marcus Dumervil, the Raiders’ four-star tackle.
Martinez checks in as the No. 4 offensive lineman in the Miami metropolitan area behind those two and four-star South Dade guard Jonathan Denis, who committed to the Oregon Ducks in July. The Hurricanes are pitching Martinez on staying home, and Martinez said the opportunity to play close to home and in front of his family is important to him.
“It is something I think about,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about stuff like that.”
Martinez still said he hears from LSU coaches most frequently, but Miami is probably in the No. 2 position. His trip to Miami Gardens last month is still his most recent campus or game visit and he hasn’t been up to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, yet this season. He already took his official visit with the Tigers in May, too, so there’s no built-in opportunity for him to return to campus.
From afar, Martinez is thrilled with what he’s seeing from LSU and its new-look offense, though.
“They told me that they were making changes and I was just really excited, waiting for them to see it,” Martinez said. “That offense is really rolling.”
The Hurricanes, however, believe they have a chance to land his signature when a final decision is made. Martinez said the staff hasn’t had to explain why it was late to offer him. Instead, Miami is pitching him on what will matter next year when competition will continue to be open for spots all across the offensive line.
“I understand because they just got a new staff and stuff,” Martinez said. “It’d be easier for me to stay home and I have a real opportunity there.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2019 at 2:56 PM.
