Cole Martin strikes me as someone who leads. Someone who is quick to find a path that works for him, and commits fully to seeing that venture through. He doesn’t come off as egotistical, but a man who is extremely confident in his ways, and often willing to help others join in his success.
The 4-star cornerback who committed to the Oregon Ducks’ 2023 recruiting class this past month is still young, but when I sat down to talk with him about why he chose the Ducks, he spoke of a natural ability to lead his teammates, and recruit others to come along and join him. A lot of that likely comes from his dad, Demetrice Martin, who was recently hired as the new Cornerbacks’ Coach at the University of Oregon.
He may be the son of an Oregon coach, but Martin’s appreciation for the Ducks goes back into his childhood. He grew up watching the likes of De’Anthony Thomas, and said that he spent time studying DAT’s tape to try and mimic his game after the Oregon legend. From the surface, Cole’s commitment may look like a son choosing to follow his father to the Pacific Northwest. In reality, it was nothing more than all of the pieces falling into place at the perfect time.
In the past, I’ve talked to recruits who recently came to see the Oregon facilities and discussed what they liked about Eugene, or how their visit with Dan Lanning went. With Martin, none of that was necessary. The No. 9 CB in the 2023 class is still a year away from signing his national letter of intent, but that didn’t stop him from giving his verbal to the Ducks and going all-in on trying to get other players to join him.
I was lucky enough to chat with Cole for a while this week to discuss his recruitment as a whole. We talked about the role that his father ‘Coach Meat’ plays in his life, and his new de facto role as one of Oregon’s lead recruiters for the 2023 class. I went into it expecting to hear from a high school student who was infatuated by the facilities at ‘Nike University.’ Instead, I left impressed with Martin’s outlook on character, competition, and what it means to be a leader. Here is that conversation: