Talented DB Joins 2019 Football Recruiting Class

The Colorado Buffaloes raid California every year to stock up their roster. The talent pipeline there flows heavily, and it’s a small reparation for the hoards of SoCal families that flee to the Rocky Mountains year in and year out. The 2019 class, more than any other class under Mike MacIntyre, seems to be aiming at the best of the best in the Golden State. Another big time prospect, this time DB Jaylen Martin, has joined the movement to Boulder.

Martin, from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Southern California, is one of the best defensive back recruits in the state and top 100 nationally (according to 247 Sports). He is long and lanky at 6’2 and about 170 pounds, which puts him into Ahkello Witherspoon territory. Before we get any farther discussing his game, let’s just point out the fact that no other player rocks those Kareem Abdul Jabar specs like Martin does.

To his game! As you can see above, Martin is a different kind of DB that we’re used to in the Coach Mac era. While most MacIntyre corners are pressing on the line of scrimmage, mirroring the receiver, and playing the ball in the air, Jaylen shows a wide range of skills that don’t match that description. Martin spends a lot of time in the safety position, reading the QB, and playing the ball out of the air. He anticipates rather than sticking to the receiver. Now, there are still parts of his game that match the template set. When he does get up to the line of scrimmage, he is handsy at the beginning and tries to disrupt the receiver’s timing. He has the size and ball skills to beat the WR to the ball and stick with almost anybody. But he shows a rangier part of the game that makes me think he’ll fit anywhere in the defensive backfield.

Welcome, Jaylen!