COMMITMENT: Arizona lands 2022 4-star Massachusetts LB Tyler Martin
Arizona's recruiting momentum has continued into the fall, and the latest piece of the first class under Jedd Fisch made his decision official Thursday. Four-star Massachusetts-based linebacker Tyler Martin finally decided to end his recruitment and commit to the Wildcats after backing off his original pledge to Michigan in late January.
"During this time, I've been reminded to appreciate every opportunity and the importance of relationships," Martin said Thursday in a post to Twitter. "It's time to focus on being the best football player, student and leader that I can in my upcoming senior season. With that being said, I would like to announce my commitment to The University of Arizona, Coach Fisch, Coach Brown and all of Wildcat Nation.
"I've still got some unfinished business here in the Northeast, but when it's all done, it's time to Bear Down and get to work in Tucson. ... Coach Fisch and Coach Brown, I am so grateful for this opportunity."
The common thread between both his commitments is Don Brown. The UA defensive coordinator is a New England native who moved in early with Martin and built a strong relationship with the big linebacker from Buckingham, Brown & Nichols School. When Brown left UM and ended up joining the staff at Arizona under Fisch, Martin decide it was time to reevaluate his options.
The Wildcats quickly entered the picture with an offer and Martin eventually made a pair of visits to Tucson. Nebraska also received an official visit from the third-ranked recruit in Massachusetts. Virginia, Cal, Stanford and Virginia Tech are some of the other schools that had been involved after his decision to decommit from Michigan.
Martin's connection with Brown is certainly strong, and relationships have been a big part of his decision-making process.
“A lot of people tell you to pick a school that you would go to if football wasn’t in the picture. But as a football recruit that is really hard to accept," Martin previously said about his recruiting process. "It’s hard to imagine a life without football when that is their dream and goal. I think feeling like I am really part of the football team and the family athletically as well as academically with the school is a very important thing for me."
Martin is now the third four-star prospect to commit to Arizona in the 2022 class joining tight end Keyan Burnett and defensive end Sterling Lane, who are both California recruits that committed to UA this summer.
The addition of another four-star prospect gives the Wildcats the 34th-ranked class in the 2022 Rivals.com team recruiting rankings. That puts UA just two spots behind USC in the rankings while remaining in fourth behind the Trojans in the Pac-12 rankings.
Arizona now has nine commitments coming in on the defensive side of the ball and six of those prospects are going to be part of the front seven for the Wildcats. Overall, UA now holds commitments from 16 recruits in the class.
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