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The Arizona Wildcats have focused most of their recruiting energy out west, but thanks to old ties back east they’ve got a few connections that are still paying off.
The latest byproduct of those connections came Thursday with the commitment of Massachusetts linebacker Tyler Martin.
COMMITTED #ItsPersonal #DesertRising #TwentyTucson @CoachJeddFisch @FBCoachDBrown @AaronVanHorn11 @CoachPart @MDohertyFB @Coach_Willey_FB pic.twitter.com/xhYn9Git6N
— Tyler Martin (@tylermartin5bbn) September 16, 2021
The 6-foot-3, 238-pound Martin is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 491 player in the 2022 recruiting class, as well as the 51st-best linebacker and No. 4 prospect from Massachusetts. He picked the UA over offers from Arkansas, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.
UA defensive coordinator Don Brown played a big part in this commitment as Martin was committed to Brown when he was at Michigan. Shortly after Brown left, though, so did Martin.
Martin has the size you want for an inside backer He is an aggressive playmaker and, quite honestly, a ball hunter. He really does have a nose for the ball and has fluid lateral movement.
Arizona now has 16 commitments in the 2022 class, including two from the Northeast. Jermaine Wiggins Jr., a defensive lineman—and son of a former NFL tight end—playing for Maine prep school Bridgton Academy, committed to the Wildcats in March.