One of the many recruits in Beaver Stadium for their win over Ball State was one of the top juniors in the country and he’s from Western Pennsylvania.
2024 Belle Vernon Athlete Quinton Martin is already rated as a 4-star player and ranked by 247 Sports as the No. 40 overall sophomore in the country. At this point of his recruitment, Martin (6-foot-2,180 pounds) holds offers from Penn State, Pitt, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Rutgers. Prior to the season, Martin was named to the MaxPreps 2024 All-American Team.
Terry Smith–who is Martin’s prime recruiter–and the Nittany Lions staff were able to get him to make a visit this past weekend, which marked his first game day visit to Penn State. Nittany Sports Now spoke with Martin on Monday evening and told us the atmosphere was something that he’s never experienced before.
“The fans, the coaches, the Penn State players all had the energy and it was just out of this world,” said Martin. “Everything about that game and the atmosphere was just amazing. It was really out of this world, that was the first time I’ve ever experienced something like that. It was my first game day visit to Penn State, my first time talking to the Penn State coaches in person, it was all new to me.”
James Franklin and his coaches top priority was obviously getting the team ready to play Ball State but they were able to spend some time with Martin, which he appreciated.
“I talked to Coach Terry Smith and it was just a normal conversation. He asked me how I did at my game and I told him that we won and beat Penn-Trafford. He asked me how my experience was going and if I was ready for the game. The coaches told me that they were glad that I was there and that I was able to make the drive up and that I would have a blast. I also talked to Coach Franklin during pre-game. I went out in the middle of the field and shook his hand. That was definitely one of the best experiences ever.”
Courtesy Prospect Media
As far as any other upcoming visits to other schools, Martin tells Nittany Sports Now that he doesn’t have any planned but that he wants to get to Pitt soon. Considering his status as a recruit, Martin realizes this visit to State College was just the first of many trips he’ll be making to major schools over the next three years and he’s looking forward to this journey.
“It’s just a blessing that I get to experience all of this and start making these visits so early in my career,” said Martin. “Most recruits don’t experience this until their junior or senior seasons, so this is really a blessing. I honestly didn’t expect all of this to be happening so soon but all of this has happened faster than I expected.”
In terms of where he’ll be playing in college, most programs are just recruiting him as an athlete because they are waiting to see how much he grows over the next few years. Currently, he’s playing running back and linebacker for Belle Vernon.
He’s a sophomore. I feel sorry for 4A the next 3 years pic.twitter.com/2eIeNwNUpL
— WPIAL Insider (@WPIAL_Insider) September 6, 2021
