Business Decision

"I really want to play in a good atmosphere and where they support football," Taylor Martinez said. "I don't want to go to a big city though. Nebraska and Iowa State both seem like nice small towns, but I don't want to go where there's a lot of people." Martinez denies a time frame for his decision and plans to wait on other offers. "We’re gonna handle recruiting like a business decision..."

Taylor Martinez, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound quarterback/free safety from Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., received his first scholarship offer on Thursday from Nebraska.

"I really like Nebraska," he stated. "I like their stadium and all the fans they have. They also have a tradition of great players and are known for being a great program.

"They have an amazing new weight room which I've seen online," Martinez said. "I can't wait to go there and see everything in person."

Martinez says that as a youngster he followed the Huskers and Iowa State. "My dad (safety Casey Martinez) played at Iowa State," he said. "I've always liked them," he said.

"I really like the indoor facilities they have and the dome. It's a great campus and I've been there a few times already so I'm real comfortable there."

Although Martinez maintains he's still wide open - he admits the Huskers lead slightly over Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Hawaii and Tennessee.

"Both Iowa State and Vanderbilt both really want me to come to their camps," he said. "They said that it's hard to offer a quarterback without seeing them in person, but said they really like what they've seen so far. I think they'll probably both offer too."

Besides the Cyclones and Commodores camps, Martinez also plans to attend the Tennessee camp later this summer.

"I really want to play in a good atmosphere and where they support football," he said. "I don't want to go to a big city though. Nebraska and Iowa State both seem like nice small towns, but I don't want to go where there's a lot of people. I don't think I'd go somewhere like UCLA. It's too crowded."

Martinez, who tested and performed very well at last Saturday's L.A. Under Armour/ Scout.com combine, doesn't have a time frame for his decision and says he just plans to wait and see who else offers. "We’re gonna handle recruiting like a business decision," he said. "I plan to visit these schools and just see what they all have to offer."

Although Martinez plays quarterback in high school, he says that none of the schools have specified which position they see him playing in college. Nebraska has offered him as an athlete, with safety being a possibility.

"My passion is quarterback," Martinez admitted. "But I'll play either position. It seems like most schools aren't sure which one they want me for yet.

"I'm a great open field tackler and have good strength," he said. "I'm fast and have great instincts at quarterback. I make good decisions and am pretty accurate. I have a strong arm, but can throw on the run too."

Last season Martinez played for Cajon High School in San Bernardino and doesn't have any stats to report. He transferred about six months ago to Corona Centennial.

"I want to work on my footwork and scrambling," Martinez said. "Especially on drop-backs.

"I've been working with a private quarterback coach this spring and doing a lot of footwork drills and working on my arm strength," he said. "I've already improved a lot since last season."

Martinez reports a 3.0 core GPA and is taking the SAT on June 7.