Cameron Martinez, an explosive athlete from Muskegon, Michigan is now officially a Buckeye.
Martinez sent in his signed Letter of Intent to join Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class. He originally planned to sign on Early Signing Day in December, but delayed his decision after co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley took the Boston College job.
The Buckeyes, including Hafley’s replacement, Kerry Coombs, put on a full-court press to make sure Martinez was comfortable.
It worked. He reconfirmed his commitment about a week ago.
Martinez has twice won the MLive player of the year award as the top player in the state of Michigan, the first player to ever accomplish that. He was also named Mr. Football and the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state.
His senior season highlight reel runs more than nine minutes long and exclusively features him scoring touchdowns. So yeah, he’s an explosive player.
He stands 5-foot-11 tall and weighs 183 lbs.
Here’s a look at what Martinez brings to Ohio State.
Ranking: He is a 4-star prospect, considered the No. 14 athlete and 7th-best player in the state of Michigan this year.
Other Offers: He picked the Buckeyes over offers from schools like Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin.
Positional Projection: Martinez made his name as a running quarterback, but projects to fit in as a defensive back for the Buckeyes.
That could be either a true safety spot, or the slot corner position that Shaun Wade manned this year.
And when you watch his highlights below, it’s not hard to imagine him returning kicks and punts at some point, too.
Commitment: He committed to the Buckeyes in July 2019.
Enrolling: Martinez will wait until summer 2020 to enroll at OSU.
Projected Impact: Martinez fits the profile of the kind of player who can make an immediate impact on special teams.
He’s likely going to take a year to get more comfortable on defense, but his athleticism might help him force his way on the field in 2020.
Look for him to start making a name for himself on special teams in the next year, and then making a push to get into the defensive two-deep in 2021.
You can watch Martinez’s senior season highlight reel below.
I have seen Cameron play football and basketball…very quick and fast. On the field he can make you miss in a space the size of a phone booth, and on the court no one gets around him. Wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him emulate Chris Gamble.
Great news. welcome.
Excited about this kid.
If this puts on 10 lbs he could be a running back. If he stays under 190 he could be a true H-Back in the Curtis Samuel mode. Either way, offense should NOT be ruled out just yet. Too electric with the ball. However you slice it, I think he could be the steal of the class.
[The Buckeye staff]… “put on a full-court press to make sure Martinez was comfortable.”
Does anyone on LR proofread?
It’s not nice to provide first-hand recruiting grist for our ‘appropriate’ …opponents….
Me thinks this is the Ozone.net – maybe no one on LR proofreads, lol, but cut and pasting might need to be proofed?