Wolverine pledge back in shape

When you commit early in the summer, some times it’s easy to be forgotten. But the Michigan Wolverine fans are hardly forgetting about their future star running back, Max Martin of Madison (Ala.) Bob Jones.

Martin, who rushed for 1,069 yards as a junior, has been hampered by a hamstring injury for most of his senior season, but with five games under his belt he’s finally returning to form and to the elite prospect that Michigan recruited to play running back.

“I’m finally about 100 percent,” Martin, who is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, said. “The first two games, I only played a half in each one. But the last three games, I’ve played all the way through the pain. I had two touchdowns and 80 yards in each of the first games, but two weeks ago I had three touchdowns and last week I had four.”

Playing through pain is just part of the game, Martin said.

“I think to be a winner you have to play through the pain,” Martin said. “All the pros talk about how they play through the injuries and how they have to be strong mentality. I agree with that. You can’t let something like an injury keep you from being on the field and helping your team win.”

Bob Jones is 3-2 on the season, but with Martin finally back to his top-shelf form, look for them to make a strong run toward the Alabama state playoffs.

Martin said he has followed the Wolverines’ season closely and has only missed one game this season. Like many other Wolverine fans, he’s still trying to figure out what went wrong at Oregon.

“I was surprised they lost to Oregon,” he said. “They almost pulled it out at the end, but I have noticed that Michigan is consistent with their style of play and they’re doing the things that I like to see. They’re feeding the ball to the running back and like to get him in the flow of the game.”

But Martin noticed that Michigan got away from its traditional running back attack in the Oregon game and it’s something his family did pay attention, too.

“My mom got on the phone with the Michigan coaches and asked them about not feeding the ball to Perry,” Martin said with a chuckle. “But what I saw was that the passing game was working so why not keep doing it?”

Martin said there is no doubt that he’s heading to play for the Wolverines and he’s scheduled to take his official visit for the Ohio State game.

“I can’t wait to see it,” he said. “I’ve never been up there for a game. When I was up there for my unofficial visit, everything was still under construction, so this will be my first time seeing everything like it’s supposed to be.”