JOHN MARTINEZ – USC
With less than 24 hours before he was set to announce his decision between USC, UCLA and LSU, John Martinez, Scout.com’s top-ranked offensive center in the country, still hadn’t decided on where he would commit. He insists it wasn’t until he actually reached for the cardinal and gold hat that he knew he would be heading to the Trojans.
“When I first got to the hotel for the Under Armour All-American Game, I had no idea where I was going to go,” the Cottonwood (Utah) star lineman said. “I wanted to see what other people thought so I talked with guys like Matt Barkley (USC QB signee) and Stanley Hasiak (UCLA OL signee). They told me why I should go to each school, but it didn’t really help.
“Then ESPN told me they wanted me to announce on TV,” Martinez said. “I called my dad and he told me that I’m going to school for me, not anyone else and that when it was time I would know in my heart where to go. When I was standing there looking at the three hats, I followed my heart and put on the USC hat. USC just felt right to me.”
Martinez pointed to the coaches as the biggest factor in choosing the Trojans. “One of the things I looked for is if coaches came to me as if they were the program to beat,” Martinez said. “Coach (Pete) Carroll was like that, but he didn’t try to sell me on USC. He was straight up with me…no pressure. Coach Carroll was like ‘take your time and think about everything. We would love to have you and not have to face you across the line.
“I really wanted to go to LSU,” he said. “I wanted to be one of the only Polynesian guys to go down South, but I felt the coaches wanted me to hurry up and commit just so they would have a center for spring ball. I felt like they just wanted a body and didn’t really care who it was.
“I liked UCLA a lot,” Martinez added. “But I didn’t really like the area that much. It was all a bunch of pretty boys. The UCLA coaches seemed to switch their tune all the time. One minute they tell me to relax, take my time, then the next minute they would be pressuring me.
“I felt the most comfortable with the coaches at USC. We have the same personalities.”
The Utah native added that he felt like family at USC…literally. “Stanley Havili (fullback) is my cousin. I stayed with him when I took my visit there. We had a great time. I didn’t pick USC because of him or anything, but knowing that I have people there already made me feel good.
“After I took my visits to USC and UCLA, I pretty much knew I wanted to play out West,” he said. “I knew it would come down to USC and UCLA pretty much.”
Depth was another consideration for Martinez, but not the way one would think. “Some kids want to go where they could play early, but I was looking for the opposite. I wanted to make sure I had guys in front of me so I could watch them and learn. And if I had any questions, I know there would be something there I could ask. I don’t think it’s smart for any player to jump right in. There is a lot to learn at the next level. The more prepared you are, the better.”
Looking back at his recruiting experience, the 6-3, 270-pound Martinez admits his recruiting priorities changed over time. “Everyone kept telling me how great college is so when I first started getting recruited I was looking for the most fun place to go. But as I started visiting different schools I started focusing more on academics and if I where would I still be happy at if I couldn’t play football and it was USC.”
JELANI JENKINS – FLORIDA
In linebacker Jelani Jenkins’ four years of high school, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel played for a championship every year.
“And never won,” Jenkins said. “Think I might have a chance with Urban Meyer? I appreciate the opportunity to win SEC and national championships. Obviously, Florida has won the national championship two of the past three years.”
Jenkins’ final decision came down to Florida and Penn State and, surprisingly, Jenkins felt the opportunity for playing time would be greater in Gainesville, Fla.
“Navarre Bowman is playing my position at Penn State and it looked like I would have to play behind him for a while,” Jenkins said. “Either that or move to another position.”
Jenkins said the long term status of Penn State coach Joe Paterno was something to consider but nothing on which to base a decision. “What they were saying was that he would be there,” Jenkins explained.
His first offers had come during his sophomore year – the first was from Virginia or Boston College – and he knew there would be more “because I planned on getting better.”
Jenkins had a final five that included USC, Notre Dame and Illinois, but didn’t make up his mind until the week before signing day. “I usually don’t take that long in making a decision,” he said, “but time was on my side.
I think I was fortunate because every school was willing to wait on me,” Jenkins offered. “If I felt that was a problem, I probably wasn’t going to attend that school anyway. We finally got together as a family to discuss the decision and I was the first to say, ‘I think I should go to Florida.’ There’ve been no regrets.”
NEAL BARLOW – ARKANSAS
Arkansas wide receiver Neal Barlow has nothing but good to say about Kansas. If you didn’t know better, you would never think the 6-6, 190-pound Little Rock (Pulaski Academy) prospect decommitted from the Jayhawks to the hometown Razorbacks.
“I loved Kansas and can’t really say there was one, single that was missing or anything like that,” Barlow said. “KU is a great football program. When I committed to Kansas, I was at a point that I just wanted the recruiting process to be over. I wanted the huge weight lifted off my shoulders so I could just enjoy the summer with my friends without stress. But the calm never came and I started thinking that I committed just to commit and really didn’t think about it seriously enough before I did. I didn’t research my options carefully enough.”
Although Arkansas was the first to offer the Scout.com three-star prospect, Barlow admits he didn’t feel they were that interested in signing him. “I never really could get to know Coach (Paul) Petrino (offensive coordinator and Bobby’s brother).
“I had other coaches calling all the time, but I hardly ever heard from Coach Petrino,” Barlow said. “I had a great relationship with Coach (Tim) Horton. I knew I could call him anytime, for any reason, and he’d be there. I wasn’t able to build a relationship with Coach Petrino. I took that as them not being that interested.
“Every time I would go there, Coach Petrino would be watching film, taking notes,” he said. “It was hard to get two words out of him. Coach Horton told me not to take it personally, that Coach Petrino is so focused on his work, almost obsessed. He spends hours and hours watching film and taking notes. It all became clear to me then. Here is a guy who is working around the clock, willing to put in crazy hours, giving up time with his family, for the team.
“Coach Petrino is the hardest working coach I know,” Barlow said. “He is passionate about what he does. That’s the type of coach I wanted to play for.
“Then, I talked to (Head) Coach (Bobby) Petrino one-on-one and he mapped out where he saw me fitting in the offense and that I definitely could come in and compete right away,” he said. “He is setting the stage to bring Arkansas back as a BCS contender. I felt I could be a big part of helping him do that.”
The hometown lure was always a big part of Barlow’s decision to join the Razorbacks. “Being the local guy played a role. People would come up to me and tell me they wanted me to go to Arkansas. It was crazy. After I committed, people were so happy.”
Barlow looked at the opportunities Arkansas offered off the field as well. “Arkansas is known to have a strong business network,” Barlow said. “The alumni association is very strong. To be part of that could definitely help me down the road. The recruiting process is a lot tougher than people think. I really took my time and weighed all my options and Arkansas just seemed to be the best fit.”