Martin giving it another go

Pat Martin's recruitment is ready for its third take, and the junior college safety is hoping it is, as they say, the charm.

A four-star prospect out of high school and a buzzed about junior college player a year ago, Martin garnered his share of interest and earned a plethora of scholarship offers during his first two trips through the recruiting process.

And now, once again, he'll start over

Martin signed with Tennessee out of high school but transferred citing "personal issues" before ever playing a game. A season ago, he saw his recruitment receive another jolt before realizing he'd need another semester to correct some academic shortcoming that popped up during his time at Arizona Western Community College.

And now, in 2013, here we are again. The setting is different but the goal is the same. Martin, now at Highland (Kan.) Community College, is on his third school in three seasons. Kansas' Jayhawk Conference will now serve as the backdrop for his quest to earn another crack at BCS-level football.

And early indications are that he's going to get what he's looking for.

"North Carolina offered me a scholarship, but It's really important to them to get out in December," Martin said. "So that's the deal there. They're telling me to keep my head on straight and keep grinding so I can get out in December. If I do that and keep doing what I'm doing on the field, everything is going to fall into place. They just want to see my grades."

Martin claims just one scholarship offer for the time being. That said, he's hoping that will change in the near future. Some schools are already sniffing around.

And Martin has his guess when it comes to which program might be the next to make things official.

"I think Utah," he said. "Utah, that's a good school. They have a good tradition of having a good defense. I don't know too much else, but I'm trying to find out. They have been recruiting me for a little while now. Utah and North Carolina are the main two schools right now."

Utes assistant Dan Finn is spearheading Utah's pursuit of Martin . And while the 205-pound safety is uncertain on a timetable for trips or a verbal commitment, he has some rough plans in mind. According to him, he shouldn't have to strain to qualify as a December graduate, so he's moving forward.

"I'm going to take my visits during the season and go from there.," Martin said. "I want to visit Utah and I want to visit North Carolina again."

Should Martin become academically eligible in December, he will have two years to play two seasons at the school of his choice.