The Tennessee Vols just landed another huge commitment for the class of 2018, this one from 4-star quarterback Adrian Martinez, who 247Sports ranks as the nation’s seventh-best dual-threat quarterback in the class. Martinez had been committed to Cal up until a couple of weeks ago, but he started leaning orange after he visited Rocky Top. The distance from his home in Fresno, California, was a hurdle to overcome, but the lure of playing in the SEC and the fact that every game is televised was enough to overcome that drawback.
Martinez is also not phased by another potential drawback, that being the pending competition for the Vols quarterback position heading into this fall between Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano. Martinez acknowledged that dual-threat redshirt freshman Guarantano winning the job would not be ideal for Martinez, but he also said he’s comfortable with his decision even if that happens.
As a junior last season, Martinez threw for 2,561 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for 1,462 yards and another 14 touchdowns. He’s excited about the flexibility of Tennessee’s offense, that it can take advantage of his skill set and also prepare him for the NFL. He plans to shut down his recruiting process, graduate early, and enroll at Tennessee in January.
Martinez had offers from 25 schools, including Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Oregon, plus a bunch of other schools closer to home.
The quarterback joins athlete Alontae Taylor and defensive tackle Brant Lawless as the 4-star prospects in Tennessee’s class of 2018 so far. The class is headlined by 5-star offensive tackle Cade Mays from Knoxville Catholic.
Martinez’s commitment brings Tennessee to No. 8 in 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings. They currently have one 5-star, three 4-stars, and six 4-stars in the class.
All Glory to God. #Committed 🍊 pic.twitter.com/ki1Fa2E9JS
— Adrian Martinez (@MartinezTheQB) May 12, 2017
