When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
Justyn Martin committed to Cal in January, and it was a major recruiting victory for the Golden Bears.
The four-star quarterback from Inglewood, Calif., was enamored with offensive coordinator and position coach Bill Musgrave’s experience in college and the NFL.
Martin loved the location of Cal, close enough to home, but not right down the road. The education was great. The history of developing quarterbacks stuck out to him.
But it was still not enough.
Earlier this week, Martin backed off his pledge to Cal shortly after he took an official visit to Ole Miss. In Oxford, Martin saw an explosive offense, the innovative play-calling of coach Lane Kiffin and his staff, and the arm of quarterback Matt Corral, who has emerged as a Heisman frontrunner.
It might be too much to pass up. UCLA, USC and others are reaching out to Martin, but it looks like the Rebels could now be in the driver’s seat for his commitment.
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LOCAL REACTION
Martin was one of Cal's first commits of the 2022 class, and his stock rose through the spring season. Cal hosted him on an official over the summer, when Martin sounded like he had locked in his recruitment. But a poor start to the season, along with strong overtures from other schools, have resulted in the Bears losing one of their foundational pieces of the class. Martin is one of the top quarterbacks in California, and to lose him relatively late in the cycle is a massive blow for Cal. - Trace Travers, GoldenBearReport.com
Sting Factor: 10
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NATIONAL REACTION
This is a big loss, but not completely debilitating to Cal’s recruiting class. There may be no way to salve the pain of some Golden Bears’ fans, who have seen their team off to a 1-2 start and now the de-commitment of the star quarterback in the class, but there will still be options. Whether that means trying to flip another quarterback - that is certainly not unheard of - or waiting to utilize the transfer portal, Cal should be able to figure this out and get a talented quarterback in this class. Martin has a lot of potential and a lot of talent, but he is definitely not a finished product who would immediately come in and change the program. It’s a big loss, for sure, but one Cal can overcome. - Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director
Sting Factor: 8
