Linebacker Eric Martin Picks NU
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February 2, 2009 by
Eric Martin, a linebacker prospect from Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California has given his verbal commitment to play for NU. The signing day for national letter's of intent is just around the corner, and Martin's choice of NU gives the Huskers a bit of a boost following a minor lull in the recruiting action.
The Prospect
Martin is a well regarded player, particularly as a middle linebacker. He totaled 150 tackles while earning all conference and all county honors at Rancho Verde. Both of the major recruiting services rate him as a 3-star prospect. He is listed at 6'1'' and 230 pounds, so he should have the body to play at the next level, too. Martin turned down offers from several PAC 10 schools, most notably Arizona and Arizona State, in favor of NU.
The Impact
This is a much needed commitment for NU. Qualification issues for linebacker Earnest Norman from Trinity HS in Texas and the much-discussed pulling of Shawn Bodtmann's scholarship had left the Huskers thin at linebacker for this 2009 class. As Martin is considered equal to or even more highly regarded than those two, so I would say the Huskers have a shot at coming out of this at a net even.
Martin is the sixth player from California in this year's Husker class. So, while much has been made of NU's actively recruiting Texas (for good reason), the Huskers are quietly and surely keeping their roots in California strong, too. It is good for fans to see the Husker coaching staff continue to mine this talent-rich state for players.
In Other News...
The Husker recruiting action is hot in some other ways, too. Long snapper PJ Mangieri has agreed to walk on at NU. This helps fill a void created by the departure of TJ O'Leary. Mangieri will compete for the Husker long-snapping job right away.
Also, coach Bo Pelini is still trying to shore up the Huskers remaining spot in this class. Based on how they have recruited this year, it is obvious the Husker coaches would love to get one more defensive tackle in the mix. Pelini is pulling out all the stops in his pursuit of Myles Wade, a defensive tackle at Western Community College in Yuma, Arizona. Miles, a former All-American in high school, is currently pledged to Texas Tech. But, Pelini went to visit Wade in his home and is trying to woo him to NU. Stay tuned.
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zE bOp Feb 02 09
Looks like a good pick up. Seems like NE is doing well in the 3 star dpt, just OU and TX keep getting 4-5 star guys.
zE bOp Feb 02 09
Actually, as per Rivals, OU doens't have any 5 stars, just a bunch of 4 stars.
TX's class looks pretty 'sick'. Galaxy of stars.
Bill in Iowa Feb 02 09
Two big disapointments of this year's recruiting class were not being able to real in Alonzo Whaley's brother Chris Whaley (RB). He was a five star who signed with Texas. The other was not signing Gabe Lynn (DB), the five star who signed with Oklahama and brother of Phillip Dillard.
I am not a guy who is all about getting 5 star studs, but it would be nice to get a few true blue chippers once in a while. Especially when we have family connections.
I don't think we will be signing any 5 star guys beyond the NE borders until we get back into the national spotlight. Until then, as he once said, Bo and company are going to have to make their own stars.