Advertisement
football Edit

Colorado edges out Tennessee, Kansas for Arkansas DT Tyas Martin

THE SITUATION

Arkansas' top-ranked 2021 prospect has made his college decision.

Tyas Martin, a three-star defensive tackle out of Jacksonville (Ark.) High School, committed to Colorado on Friday. Kansas, Tennessee and North Texas were other finalists for the 6-foot-4, 315-pound interior lineman.

Martin previously committed to Virginia Tech in April, but backed off that verbal pledge after a little more than two months. The Buffs entered the race at the beginning of July by officially extending an offer, though communication had been taking place for some time before then.

Martin is the nation's No. 22-ranked defensive tackle. He's the eighth addition to Colorado's 2021 recruiting class and the second defensive linemen along with Florida defensive end Allan Baugh.

Advertisement

IN HIS OWN WORDS

"I already had a unique connection with the defensive line coach (Chris Wilson) because my trainer is his cousin so he’s been watching since the whole Coronavirus thing happened and he liked what he saw from me and he thinks I can come in and make an impact early."

"They impressed me so quickly by the we connected ... there was never a dull moment with them and they recruited me so hard."

"The coaches I’m closet to is Coach Wilson and Coach (Chandler) Dorrell. Our relationship is very tight. We just don’t talk about football; we talk about life and it feels like a family there. They believe in me a lot so I believe in them."

"It was an easy decision, but Kansas was right there with them ... It came down to just how much NFL experience (the) Colorado staff has and the way they're rebuilding the program is amazing and I have a chance to make an impact early."

"The vision of Tyas Martin is to come in and dominate, to take what’s mine and I’m coming in as a true freshman and playing right away and the staff paved the way by how much they believed in me and how real they keep it and I know they got my back no matter what, so it’s the perfect fit for me. Academically, Coach Dorrell took that very seriously and that’s another reason I picked Colorado."

RIVALS REACTION

Martin was among the top-performing underclassmen at the 2020 All-American Bowl Combine in San Antonio earlier this year. He's got massive size to be a space-filler in the with a barrel chest and frame to eventually slide into the 3-technique and rush the passer from an interior defensive line spot.

His natural blend of size and power is paired with some initial first-step explosion, which lends itself to plenty of backfield penetration. What separates Martin as the top-ranked prospect in Arkansas is his motor to continue trying to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and battling with opposing offensive linemen in the trenches.

Martin can overpower at the point of attack, but he's also technically sound with an effective swim move and a strong dip. He will continue to add more pass-rush moves to his arsenal as he gets coached up and developed in Boulder.

More so, Martin is a colossal body in the middle of the defensive line, but he still plays light on his feet and shows the ability to make plays up and down the line of scrimmage. He loves to battle inside and often takes on double teams -- and with a ton of success -- but that's an area of his game he'll need to continue to develop before he's ready to do so in the Pac-12.

Advertisement