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Oliver Martin has as Becky offer

madmax1191

HR All-State
Jan 27, 2016
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Libertyville, IL
If KF and Co. dont want him thats fine but are they gonna regret this? Seems like a D1 talent. Vandeberg type WR. Starting to wonder if he ends up a Hawk as I thought he'd be all along.
 
Iowa will offer. Maybe Minnesota and Wisconsin offered knowing they had no chance if Iowa offers so they are forcing Iowa to offer and thus burn a scholarship that might have been a grey shirt otherwise.....
 
I would feel good about Buckley, Holmes, and Oliver at WR in the 2017 class. Holmes and Oliver seem probable
 
I don't think he will get an offer unless they miss on some of their higher ranked targets. Which I am totally fine with. I think Gavin Holmes is a likely commit and they are still in on Greenwood, Bell, Savoy, Buckley and Smith.
 
Is Maurice Bell no longer a possibility?
Hasn't been much talk about him recently. He has visited a couple other schools. I don't feel like Eno has as much pull when it comes to CA guys so thats why I have a better vibe about Buckley than Bell
 
I too am puzzled by the lack of an offer for Oliver. Are there issues with grades, attitude or citizenship? If not the staff should be all over him for a verbal.
 
I too am puzzled by the lack of an offer for Oliver. Are there issues with grades, attitude or citizenship? If not the staff should be all over him for a verbal.
The issue still is that the Hawks have a limited number of commits they can take in the '17 class and they're likely sitting very well with guys who are higher on their recruiting board. I'm sure that the Hawks are actively recruiting him and "want" him if they can afford to give him an offer.

My guess is that the coaches feel that if they let some of the Texas guys recruit each other ... we can platoon together a really nice block of talent out of Texas. Furthermore, since they'll be coming in all together ... it might continue to help build rapport and make it less likely that the majority of them would bolt. My guess is that Mansell, Benjamin, and Holmes are all communicating a lot together via social media (and the like) ... and they're going to try to help pull even more guys to the Hawkeye cause. There are a bunch of Texas guys we're in on ... guys like Daniels (DT), Hankins (DB), Greenwood (WR), and maybe even Boyce (DB) and Buckley (WR).
 
Could see Martin's recruitment go the same way as Shawn Beyer last year. Iowa kept talking to him, but it wasn't until the end of his high school season that they finally offered. The whole time, he was told to be patient as things were happening.
 
I too am puzzled by the lack of an offer for Oliver. Are there issues with grades, attitude or citizenship? If not the staff should be all over him for a verbal.

One never knows for sure about citizenship or attitude until the recruit has been accepted and is on campus for a while but it wouldn't be an issue with grades. It isn't easy to be admitted to UW these days and the staff has gained a good idea what it takes to be carefully considered.
 
I too am puzzled by the lack of an offer for Oliver. Are there issues with grades, attitude or citizenship? If not the staff should be all over him for a verbal.

I would be very surprised if there was an issue with any of those items.
 
I would be very surprised if there was an issue with any of those items.

Agreed. I would guess that an offer will be forthcoming for him in the coming weeks if indeed Iowa is interested. There was little/no reason for Iowa to be offering before he got the offers from Minnesota and Wisconsin, if indeed Iowa had other guys rated higher on its board elsewhere.

The reality is that Iowa can't afford to wait on offering out-of-state talent. If there are guys in Texas, California, etc. that Iowa feels good about, Hawks have to be one of the first in the door with an offer. Iowa will do the same with in-state guys who are the highest on the lists (think Wirfs or Kallenberg). It could come back to bite them if Martin decides to Minny or Wisconsin and turns into a real good player. But I'd guess it's likely he would end up a Hawkeye rather quickly should Iowa decide to offer him (that's just a guess). It's just the way recruiting goes.
 
Martin is an elite athlete. He recorded a higher SPARQ score than Greenwood did and will be at The Opening Finals. He is an elite route runner for a high school player. He has done nothing but produce on the football field. No way he doesn't have more offers if he's from Florida, Texas, or California. If he is not a Hawk, I'll be extremely disappointed.
 
Martin is an elite athlete. He recorded a higher SPARQ score than Greenwood did and will be at The Opening Finals. He is an elite route runner for a high school player. He has done nothing but produce on the football field. No way he doesn't have more offers if he's from Florida, Texas, or California. If he is not a Hawk, I'll be extremely disappointed.
Martin is seemingly a late developer who has seen his recruitment blow up because he's been a good camper. I'm sure that he is a quality talent ... however, I'm equally as convinced that the Hawkeye coaches are pleased with the other WRs who they've offered as well.
 
Martin is seemingly a late developer who has seen his recruitment blow up because he's been a good camper. I'm sure that he is a quality talent ... however, I'm equally as convinced that the Hawkeye coaches are pleased with the other WRs who they've offered as well.
It's pretty clear that they do like their current offers quite a bit more than Martin, but if I'm going to trust the staff on their player evaluations, WR is going to be the last position I trust their judgment on. Martin seems like a much surer thing, from both a football and person (hometown kid that wants to be a Hawk) standpoint. I'm not going to pretend to be a scout of any sort, but I'm seeing an awful lot of similarities between Martin and guys like VandeBerg, Dudek, and Erickson (who were also under the radar guys) that have been successful in the B1G. I just don't think WR is a position we have the flexibility to pass up on a guy that looks like an almost-guaranteed producer.
 
It's pretty clear that they do like their current offers quite a bit more than Martin, but if I'm going to trust the staff on their player evaluations, WR is going to be the last position I trust their judgment on. Martin seems like a much surer thing, from both a football and person (hometown kid that wants to be a Hawk) standpoint. I'm not going to pretend to be a scout of any sort, but I'm seeing an awful lot of similarities between Martin and guys like VandeBerg, Dudek, and Erickson (who were also under the radar guys) that have been successful in the B1G. I just don't think WR is a position we have the flexibility to pass up on a guy that looks like an almost-guaranteed producer.
Colin Sandeman looked every bit as much like a sure-thing. Furthermore, his play on film really did pop off the screen (a valid contrast to Martin). He had a solid Hawkeye career ... however, that's not to say that any number of other players might have contributed in an equivalent (or better) manner.

If you mention Erickson ... he was a former walk-on for Wisconsin. You should also mention Abbrederis - he too was a former walk-on. VandeBerg was originally slated to be a grey-shirt ... and, as far as I know, he didn't have any prior major offers. Have you ever considered that the Hawks would have happily tried to slow-play Martin's recruitment? If he didn't go on the camp circuit ... they would have had that luxury too. Obviously, the Hawks have been put in a spot here. However, that still doesn't change the fact that Martin may still be lower on their recruiting boards than other guys who they're confident about securing commitments from.

This is feather in the cap of Martin ... he has more leverage now as it relates to his recruitment. Good for him.

As for whether or not to trust the coaches collective "guts" as it relates to projecting WRs ... the situation has less to do with projecting and more with the ability to both land high-quality guys and also to RETAIN them. Iowa was onto a bunch of high quality WRs ... many of whom they made the final cut. I'm talking about guys like Dez Briscoe who ended up going to Kansas and had an amazing career there. I'm talking about Michael Crabtree (yeah, that Michael Crabtree) who ended up going to Texas Tech.

Heck, Iowa even landed guys like DJK, Marvin McNutt, James Cleveland, and Derrick Willies. DJK and McNutt ended up having historic Hawkeye careers. James Cleveland got booted for off-field issues ... but he went on to prove that he was a pretty impressive talent too. As much as I'm irritated at the sequence of decisions made by Willies ... I'm still every bit as convinced that he'll likely end up an excellent WR too.

You might complain about the track record of Hawkeye WRs ... however, I'd place some of the "blame" on the QBs. Whenever Iowa has had really good QBs ... QBs who are playmakers ... guys like Banks, Tate, Stanzi, and now Beathard ... the WRs tend to put up better numbers. When we have guys who aren't like that ... the WR production suffers accordingly.

If Iowa recruits well at WR and we have good "gamer" QBs ... we might end up seeing a new trend at WR at Iowa.
 
Colin Sandeman looked every bit as much like a sure-thing. Furthermore, his play on film really did pop off the screen (a valid contrast to Martin). He had a solid Hawkeye career ... however, that's not to say that any number of other players might have contributed in an equivalent (or better) manner.

If you mention Erickson ... he was a former walk-on for Wisconsin. You should also mention Abbrederis - he too was a former walk-on. VandeBerg was originally slated to be a grey-shirt ... and, as far as I know, he didn't have any prior major offers. Have you ever considered that the Hawks would have happily tried to slow-play Martin's recruitment? If he didn't go on the camp circuit ... they would have had that luxury too. Obviously, the Hawks have been put in a spot here. However, that still doesn't change the fact that Martin may still be lower on their recruiting boards than other guys who they're confident about securing commitments from.

This is feather in the cap of Martin ... he has more leverage now as it relates to his recruitment. Good for him.

As for whether or not to trust the coaches collective "guts" as it relates to projecting WRs ... the situation has less to do with projecting and more with the ability to both land high-quality guys and also to RETAIN them. Iowa was onto a bunch of high quality WRs ... many of whom they made the final cut. I'm talking about guys like Dez Briscoe who ended up going to Kansas and had an amazing career there. I'm talking about Michael Crabtree (yeah, that Michael Crabtree) who ended up going to Texas Tech.

Heck, Iowa even landed guys like DJK, Marvin McNutt, James Cleveland, and Derrick Willies. DJK and McNutt ended up having historic Hawkeye careers. James Cleveland got booted for off-field issues ... but he went on to prove that he was a pretty impressive talent too. As much as I'm irritated at the sequence of decisions made by Willies ... I'm still every bit as convinced that he'll likely end up an excellent WR too.

You might complain about the track record of Hawkeye WRs ... however, I'd place some of the "blame" on the QBs. Whenever Iowa has had really good QBs ... QBs who are playmakers ... guys like Banks, Tate, Stanzi, and now Beathard ... the WRs tend to put up better numbers. When we have guys who aren't like that ... the WR production suffers accordingly.

If Iowa recruits well at WR and we have good "gamer" QBs ... we might end up seeing a new trend at WR at Iowa.
I'm not saying we need to offer right now and I don't care how he gets on campus (walk-on, GS, or scholarship), all I said is that I'd be extremely disappointed if he doesn't end up a Hawk. To me, he's a guy that need to be a Hawkeye, no matter the cost. Now that he went on the camp circuit, it looks like a scholarship may be necessary to get him on campus. Comparing his recruitment to those other players isn't a very fair comparison though. IIRC, the Wisconsin staff wasn't even aware of Erickson until the end of his senior year and convinced him to skip a D3 basketball career to play football. VandeBerg was viewed as a good enough player to warrant a scholarship, but the staff was able to play the GS offer because he had no other offers. I can't say for certain, but if they had the room, I would believe that they would have upgraded the offer if necessary. That luxury most likely isn't there with Martin.

The issue of the retainment is also a large reason why I want Martin more than most of the other guys on the board. He's about as close as it gets to a lock to stay on campus all 4 or 5 years. Guys from say Texas or California, as we've seen, don't stick around as often as in-state guys. It does no good to pull in highly rated WR if they aren't going to be around long enough to develop. Only one Iowa receiver has been drafted since 2002 and there has been only one 1000 yard receiver in that same time period. Regardless of who's QB, production has been lacking. Across the country, there have been plenty of 1000 yard receivers despite bad QB play.
 
Frankly, Iowa has better options right now at receiver and that is why they haven't offered. They think they are in good with some of their top targets. I don't understand why people want him just because Wisconsin and Minnesota do? They will likely get a commit from Gavin Holmes who would likely play the same position and appears to be much faster and have several targets that look better than he does.
 
It's pretty clear that they do like their current offers quite a bit more than Martin, but if I'm going to trust the staff on their player evaluations, WR is going to be the last position I trust their judgment on. Martin seems like a much surer thing, from both a football and person (hometown kid that wants to be a Hawk) standpoint. I'm not going to pretend to be a scout of any sort, but I'm seeing an awful lot of similarities between Martin and guys like VandeBerg, Dudek, and Erickson (who were also under the radar guys) that have been successful in the B1G. I just don't think WR is a position we have the flexibility to pass up on a guy that looks like an almost-guaranteed producer.
You mean because they are white?
 
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You mean because they are white?
No, because they are great route runners and know how to get open. They just all happen to be white ;). Many receivers at the college level rely so much on their physical tools. That has been a common complaint with receivers coming out of OSU under Meyer. They don't know the whole route tree.

I'm sure his skin color is part of the reason why he isn't swimming in offers at this time though.
 
No, because they are great route runners and know how to get open. They just all happen to be white ;). Many receivers at the college level rely so much on their physical tools. That has been a common complaint with receivers coming out of OSU under Meyer. They don't know the whole route tree.

I'm sure his skin color is part of the reason why he isn't swimming in offers at this time though.

OSU is really hurting because of their WRs route running.
 
I'm not saying we need to offer right now and I don't care how he gets on campus (walk-on, GS, or scholarship), all I said is that I'd be extremely disappointed if he doesn't end up a Hawk. To me, he's a guy that need to be a Hawkeye, no matter the cost. Now that he went on the camp circuit, it looks like a scholarship may be necessary to get him on campus. Comparing his recruitment to those other players isn't a very fair comparison though. IIRC, the Wisconsin staff wasn't even aware of Erickson until the end of his senior year and convinced him to skip a D3 basketball career to play football. VandeBerg was viewed as a good enough player to warrant a scholarship, but the staff was able to play the GS offer because he had no other offers. I can't say for certain, but if they had the room, I would believe that they would have upgraded the offer if necessary. That luxury most likely isn't there with Martin.

The issue of the retainment is also a large reason why I want Martin more than most of the other guys on the board. He's about as close as it gets to a lock to stay on campus all 4 or 5 years. Guys from say Texas or California, as we've seen, don't stick around as often as in-state guys. It does no good to pull in highly rated WR if they aren't going to be around long enough to develop. Only one Iowa receiver has been drafted since 2002 and there has been only one 1000 yard receiver in that same time period. Regardless of who's QB, production has been lacking. Across the country, there have been plenty of 1000 yard receivers despite bad QB play.
The flip side for athletes who are playing so close to home ... there is often a lot more pressure for those guys to produce and sometimes they just don't. Morris was just from nearby Solon ... and was quite a talent. However, he endured a huge amount of pressure to produce. Quite frankly, through most of his career ... his play didn't match the hype. In his defense, he played hurt for large swatches of his career.

In contrast, Jewell may be from Iowa ... but Decorah is far enough removed from Iowa City that there might not be quite as much immediate pressure as a guy who is from within an hour radius of Kinnick.
 
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OSU is really hurting because of their WRs route running.
A WR corps stocked full of 4* and 5* talent can get away with that at the college level. Aside from the occasional player, Iowa isn't pulling 4* and 5* talent at WR. Certainly aren't in position to do it this year.
 
No, because they are great route runners and know how to get open. They just all happen to be white ;). Many receivers at the college level rely so much on their physical tools. That has been a common complaint with receivers coming out of OSU under Meyer. They don't know the whole route tree.

I'm sure his skin color is part of the reason why he isn't swimming in offers at this time though.

Like yourself, I'd ultimately like to see Martin end up a Hawkeye. However, another consideration why the coaches haven't offered him may also relate to the fact that at a place like Iowa ... you also have to play the "long game" in recruiting. It's all about building relationships ... having high school coaches see their guys go through your program and be treated "right." To see their guys go through your program and see them succeed.

Furthermore, it's also about having the high school coach advocate strongly for a player and having the coaches (on the college side listen). If a high school coach really trusts a particular college coaching staff ... they're much more likely to encourage their players to consider that college. A chance recommendation from a Detroit area coach to Coach Parker led Iowa to ultimately land King ... and subsequently, the resulting windfall had been the Hawks reasserting themselves in the Detroit area.

While I agree that the Hawks wouldn't have a retention issue with Martin ... there are also benefits to be had by having the Hawks continue to "break through" in establishing a stronger recruiting presence in Texas.
 
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Here's the deal... It's all made up in my head and I'm sure it's accurate. They've told him he will be offered, or is possibly a silent commit, but they want to land a couple more high WR targets and don't want to scare them away by taking a WR commit in front of them.
 
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