Three-star RB Martin makes it official, chooses Temple
After Sam Martin made his second visit to Temple in early June, he knew it was the place he needed to be.
“Just the family part of it,” Martin said in an interview with OwlScoop.com on Saturday. “I went up there about three times the past two months and everything about them was like a family. It felt like home.”
The 3-star running back from Curtis High School in Staten Island, New York became the fifth member of Temple's 2022 class when he officially announced his verbal commitment on Twitter Saturday night.
Martin told Temple’s coaching staff he was committing on Friday, following the team's recruiting barbecue at Lincoln Financial Field.
“They were happy, and everyone was excited,” Martin said. “I came out of the office and it was claps from everyone around, all the staff members. It was just a great feeling.”
In addition to Temple, Martin had 17 other offers throughout his recruitment, including 12 from power five schools like Boston College, Tennessee, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Purdue and California.
Despite heavy interest from other schools, Martin said he’s officially shutting down his recruitment at this time and is 100 percent committed to Temple.
Martin’s strong relationship with Owls’ running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Gabe Infante is one of the main reasons he chose Temple. According to Martin, the two text and FaceTime frequently to discuss topics outside of football.
Another factor in Martin’s decision to verbally commit was honest conversations he had with current Temple players like freshman defensive tackle Nick Bags, and redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Amad Anderson, who also attended Curtis High School.
“They just kept it real,” Martin said. “Everything they liked about Temple, everything they didn’t like about Temple and stuff like that. They got me on that part because most of the time you talk to people, and they are not real about something because they want you to join.”
On the field, Martin has experience playing running back, wide receiver and safety at the high school level. Although he was primarily recruited to play running back, Martin said Temple is also looking at him as a potential safety.
Martin believes he can provide Temple a well-rounded skill set as a running back because of his experience playing receiver. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Martin is also working on adding weight to his frame in order to become a more powerful runner.
“I think [catching the ball out of the backfield] is going to be a major part of it because in today’s time, the running backs are very useful in the passing game in the slot or out wide," Martin said. “I’m just looking to get better at everything I do, whether it is defense or offense. I’m looking to get bigger and stronger and faster.”
Martin’s goal for his senior season is to win a state championship and help his teammates become the best version of themselves.
“We are young, so before I leave, I want to make sure they are all trying to reach their full potential, or at least halfway there,” Martin said.
With Martin's commitment, Temple now has five verbal pledges in the 2022 class, four of which are rated by Rivals as 3-star prospects.