Penn State picks up second-straight Top 100 commitment from running back Quinton Martin

Penn State fans, rejoice. Quinton Martin is officially a Nittany Lion.

Arguably the most important recruit in the Class of 2024, Martin officially announced his decision Friday evening. The top-ranked player in Pennsylvania and the nation’s 41st-ranked prospect overall, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, Martin told Blue White Illustrated that he officially let head coach James Franklin and the staff know Thursday evening.

“I committed to them yesterday,” Martin said. “Me and my family talked about it and we were just ready to commit. We had our minds made up. We thought this was what was best for me and we made it happen, so we got on the phone with Coach Franklin. He said hello to the family and asked how everyone was doing and then I just immediately told him that I’m 100 percent in, that I’m 100 percent ready. It was a great talk. I’m excited to tell everyone I’m 100 percent in. I’m 100 percent committed.”

This commitment has been a long time coming for Penn State. In addition to offering Martin over two years ago, the Nittany Lions hosted him substantially more than any other school, as Martin travelled to State College nine times total.

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The most recent of those visits was just over a week ago on March 23. Unlike all the previous visits, most of which were for games, last Monday’s visit was just he and his family. It gave them a one-on-one experience with the staff the entire day. Martin said he was thinking about committing then.

“We were definitely thinking about it last week,” Martin said. “We went on that Pitt visit and then went on the Penn State visit, and after that, we just started thinking about what’s best for me and what I wanted to do. It was really about where I can find the best situation and thrive the most. Just the more we discussed, especially coming off that last visit, it had to be Penn State.”

In addition to Pitt, Martin also took multiple visits to Ohio State. Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Virginia Tech and West Virginia all got him on campus last year, but Martin was open about the fact that he wanted to stay close to home. His lead recruiters, Ja’Juan Seider and Terry Smith, wanted to make sure that happened, too, building relationships with just about everyone close to him along the way.

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“I would say the commitment they showed me and my family was the biggest thing,” Martin said. “It’s not just that they’ve been 100 percent committed to me, but they’ve been committed to my family and helping us out in every way possible.”

Shawn Martin, Quinton’s uncle, reiterated that communication was the key factor.

“What was the key factor was the communication with the coaches,” Martin said. “They’re very passionate and we got the opportunity to interact with all the coaches. They weren’t trying to sell you. They’re very transparent. It was just real. Every question that we ever had, they not only answered, but they made sure that we left their satisfied.”

Listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Martin is a true athlete in every sense of the word. Throughout the past two years, Penn State has recruited him as a running back, but many of the schools recruiting him liked Martin’s potential best on defense. Since he’s already on pace to enroll at Penn State next January, don’t be surprised at all if Franklin and his staff use next spring to experiment with Martin at multiple positions.

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“They’re recruiting me 100 percent as a running back,” Martin said. “But I also have no doubt that once I get up there and start practicing, they’re going to move me around and be diverse with me. They’re going to give me a little bit on defense, a little bit on offense. I’m hoping that happens, but I’m OK with what happens either way. I’m just all for doing whatever I need to do to help the team and get on the field.”

Martin is now the seventh player to join Penn State’s Class of 2024. He’s the third player to commit in the past two weeks, joining four-star cornerback Jon Mitchell and three-star tight end Luke Reynolds. He’s the fifth player from Pennsylvania to join the class, one of whom happens to be his close friend, Anthony Speca. Martin said that relationship played a role in him committing.

“Speca is my boy. When he committed, that was honestly a big step for me. I started looking at Penn State in a whole different way. I started thinking about what it would be like for me and my boy to be up there balling together. I’ve known him since the fifth grade, so that definitely had a big impact on my decision. I wouldn’t say it was the whole thing, but he definitely had a big impact.”