Oregon may have solved its kick returner problem with the signing of 4-star cornerback Cole Martin.
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning and his staff have spent a lot of time in the town of Chandler, Ariz. They were recruiting defensive lineman A’Mauri Washington and now they signed 4-star corner Cole Martin. The two players went to different schools, however.
At 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, Martin is a good candidate for a free safety spot and more importantly, he’s a very good possibility at either as a kickoff returner, punt returner, or both.
The Ducks have had a hard time finding an explosive returner for a couple of years now and the first two highlights of Martin’s video show him as a returner who can hit the hole at full speed and outrun the coverage.
4-star CB Cole Martin, Oregon’s first member of the 2023 class and the son of Duck’s coach Demetrice Martin, will visit Louisville this weekend.
It’s all fun and games when high school prospects who are committed to other schools start taking visits to Eugene to check out the Ducks, but when an Oregon commit announces he is going on a recruiting visit to another school, feelings start to change.
That’s the case for four-star cornerback Cole Martin, who was the first member of the 2023 recruiting class for the Ducks. Martin, who is the son of Oregon defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin, announced on Tuesday he planned to take an unofficial visit to the Louisville Cardinals this weekend.
Martin is ranked as the No. 10 CB and No. 74 player in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports.
Committed recruits taking additional visits have been a recent topic of conversation for the Ducks, but it’s usually the other way around. Earlier this spring, four-star wide receiver Ashton Cozart, an Oklahoma commit, visited Oregon and decommitted from the Sooners shortly after, flipping to the Ducks. This coming week, Oregon will host four-star defensive lineman Johnny Bowens, who is a member of the Texas A&M 2023 class.
The fact Martin is taking a visit to Louisville may mean nothing. He is the son of an Oregon coach and from the looks and sounds of it, loves the Ducks and is excited to play in Eugene. It is something to keep an eye on, though.
Cole Martin isn’t just an Oregon commit, but also an Oregon recruiter. We talked about his relationship with ‘Coach Meat,’ and the value of leadership.
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.
Photo Courtesy of Cole Martin
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:
Miles Lockhart is a 4-star ATH in 2024 who is teammates with Oregon commit Cole Martin. He came away from his visit impressed with the Ducks.
When you’ve been on recruiting visits to the Notre Dame’s and UCLA’s of the world, it’s pretty hard not to hold them in higher regard when going through the rest of your recruiting process. Any other school is going to have a hard time competing with the history and legacy that those campuses can present.
According to 2024 four-star ATH Miles Lockhart, though, the Oregon Ducks certainly made a good case during his weekend visit to Eugene.
“It was up there. It really was all the way up there with them,” Lockhart said. “Notre Dame is a very hard school to beat, but I think Oregon could have competed with them for sure with that visit.”
Lockhart is in an interesting position when it comes to his recruitment at Oregon. There are numerous ties pulling him to Eugene, be it one of his closest friends, Cole Martin, already committing to the Ducks in 2023, or Martin’s father Demetrice taking the cornerbacks coaching job with the Ducks.
As a prospect with 8 offers so far and counting, he will likely have his pick of the litter over the next couple of year while he narrows down his options. It’s hard to believe the Ducks, who he watched growing up, will be very far from that list.
We were lucky enough to catch up with Lockhart after his vist to Eugene and discuss his initial impressions of the Oregon campus, Dan Lanning’s coaching staff, and what sets the Ducks apart from other places that Miles has seen. Here is that conversation:
The Dan Lanning era is starting off on a high note for the Oregon Ducks, with 4-star DB Cole Martin committing to the Ducks on the first day of the new year.
Martin, who is the nation’s No. 87 prospect in the class of 2023, is also the son of Demetrice Martin, who recently agreed to become the cornerbacks’ coach for Oregon under new head coach Dan Lanning.
Martin picked Oregon over some high-profile schools, including Alabama, Notre Dame, USC and 30 other programs. Martin told 247 Sports in December that he was choosing between USC, UCLA, Arizona State and Colorado. However, after his father was hired by the Ducks, it doesn’t come as a major shock that the 4-star DB would pick Eugene in the end.
Cole Martin will announce his commitment on New Year’s Day
Despite his father and former Colorado cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin recently leaving for Oregon, four-star 2023 CB Cole Martin hasn’t crossed the Buffs off his potential commitment list, according to Adam Gorney of Rivals.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back out of Chandler, Arizona currently has over 30 offers (including Oregon) and plans on announcing his commitment on Jan. 1. Rivals ranks Martin as the No. 97 player in the nation and the No. 14 player at his position. If the Buffs can snag Martin, it would be a huge get and a strong start to their 2023 class.
Colorado has signed three cornerbacks for 2022, but also just lost starting CB Christian Gonzalez to the transfer portal.
Demetrice Martin's departure to Oregon was seen by many as a big blow to CU's chances of landing his son, 4-star '23 CB Cole Martin.
The Badgers offer a top 2023 DB from the Grand Canyon state
The Badgers are looking out west early in the 2023 class. After securing 2020 signee LB Malik Reed from the Grand Canyon state, Wisconsin is once again journeying to Arizona and offering top talent.
Wisconsin extended on offer to class of 2023 CB Cole Martin, who is already seen as a top defensive back in the group.
In talking to Rivals USC analyst Alec Simpson, who covered Arizona high school football all of last year for the Rivals network, he raved about the young CB’s physicality when breaking down his film:
“Martin is one of the top defensive backs in the Grand Canyon State regardless of class,” said Simpson. “At 5-10 175 pounds, he brings solid size to the table as he’s only heading into his sophomore year. As a freshman on varsity, he amassed 38 total tackles, 2 int (one of which was returned for a touchdown from 78 yards out), 1 fumble recovery, and 5 passes deflected. Martin is a really instinctive defensive back and does a nice job of tracking the football in space. This is the type of defensive back that will break on the football with no false steps. He isn’t afraid to get physical with his opponents and make his presence felt on the gridiron. Martin also brings explosive speed to the table that makes him a solid weapon in the return game. Martins’ recruitment still has a ways to go, but expect him to be one of the top 2023 defensive backs nationally with early offers from the likes of LSU, Oregon, and USC to name a few.”
Currently, Martin holds offers from the likes of Arizona State, Arkansas, and Florida State among other top power five programs. He is the second CB offered by the Badgers in the class of 2023, alongside Florida native Sharif Denson.
Michigan State has extended an offer to Cole Martin, whose father Demetrice played for Michigan State in the 90s.
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This particular bit of recruiting news has some interesting aspects, follow with me for a minute. On Wednesday, it was announced that Michigan State Football has offered 2023 recruiting prospect Cole Martin, a currently unranked multi-position athlete out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona. Martin is the son of Demetrice Martin, who was another multi-positional standout who played for the Spartans back in the 1990s.
Interestingly enough, Demetrice Martin just joined the staff at Colorado, joining Mel Tucker’s head coaching replacement with the Buffaloes, Karl Dorrell, as the cornerbacks coach. The Buffaloes are also recruiting Martin so this is an interesting recruiting battle to monitor, as the young prospect could have to choose between playing under his dad’s tutelage or joining his dad’s alma mater.
