Oliver Martin
Entering Nike’s “The Opening” last weekend, those in attendance weren’t really aware of Iowa City Western wide receiver Oliver Martin, a three-star recruit for the class of 2017.
By the end of the weekend, everybody knew who the dynamic playmaker was. This included Michigan, who must have caught wind of his performance before extending him a scholarship offer while the event was still taking place.
247Sports director of scouting Barton Simmons was able to watch Martin live at last week’s camp.
“He’s one of the best receivers in this entire class,” Simmons said. “He was the steadiest pass catcher of the event. He worked out in the slot and motioned out of the backfield. His coaches were scheming to get him touches because they knew they could count on him to make plays. He’s not just a productive receiver though. He’s a freaky athlete with a crazy ceiling. He had the 13th highest testing numbers out of 166 prospects and is also a high level baseball prospect. His ceiling will continue to grow as he devotes his summers to the gridiron instead of the diamond.”
Martin, who now holds scholarships from Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State and Oregon along with the Wolverines, is taking all of the attention in stride as he may just be getting started as a national recruit.
“I guess I really didn’t know why I was being overlooked but it was a relief to get some offers from Division I programs,” Martin told 247Sports. “I think if I might have just gotten one (offer), I might have fallen in love with that program right away. To get all of these offers in such a short time means I have a pretty big decision to make.”
The Wolverines will now hope that Martin will fall in love with them enough to become a part of their 2017 class. He hit it off really well with quarterback commitment and 7-on-7 teammate Dylan McCaffrey. He also really impressed another McCaffrey in Stanford star and Heisman Trophy finalist Christian, who was coaching at the event. The all-purpose star summed up Martin’s abilities succinctly.
“He’s the best wide receiver here, by far. By far.”
Steve Lorenz is the editor and publisher of Wolverine247 of the 247Sports Network. You can follow him on Twitter @TremendousUM and give Wolverine247 a try with a free trial until Sept. 3.