Read this on Ohio States Board

 

 

"I don't post much on the recruiting board, but I came across this when I was surfing the cincinnati board about how Martin has nd #1. Could just be bs, but you never know. The guy claiming this is a moderator...for what that's worth."

Interesting. Both of the guys on Cincy's board seem to have connections and have talked to coaches down there and both said ND lean. But this recruitment is a longgggggg way from over, imo.

this is good news but i agree that recruiting is a long way from being over.

Mike, could you post a link to the board where you found this info?

That's awesome news. If the guy is a moderator you've got to think that he has some credibility. Guys on here have been saying that for a while so it's pretty easy to believe. When is coming for an official?

Shark I just went to Ohio St. mssg board. They also seemed a little worried that Ben Martins mom liked ND, it's pretty funny.

Ha, it's always funny when the recruits leaning your way. Hopefully we get Ben b/c he definitely has to potential to grow into a dominating d-end. It would definitely feel good to pull this guy away from OSU as well.

broke and i have been saying this for awhile, this guy is going to be irish in my opinon

another mother getting in to the mix. stay with it mrs. martin.

Martin would be a really nice get for us. Keeping him away from OSU is just icing on the cake IMO. I've noticed alot of ppl have questioned whether he is better than our own Kerry Neal, and its up for debate thats for sure. Also, some have suggested that Ben might get bigger and move to DT? Any thoughts on that? Regardless, I'd very much like to see this kid on our commit list come NSD in Feb.

Being from Cleveland, I get a lot of tOSU fans in my face on a daily basis, and they have been VERY quiet about Martin from day one. If these guys can drum up any bit of pro tOSU news on a recruit, they let me know about it (as well as the number 617)....believe me. They haven't been able to find anything positive about Ben. I think we have a better than 50-50 chance with him.

atrain, I get the same thing from down here in Dayton.

 

tOSU fans are very quiet about this one.

good news guys!!!!

Was wondering when we would here some good news on Ben.Sounds great to me.Hope we get Big BEn.

He's No. 2: Ben Martin, La Salle

BY TOM GROESCHEN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

 

Ben Martin never played football until his freshman year at La Salle. He literally cried his way onto the team, having begged his mother to let him play.

 

Four years later, Martin is one of the top high school players in America.

 

"Ben Martin is the best defensive end prospect I have ever seen in Ohio," said Duane Long, in his 10th year as a Midwest football recruiting evaluator for Scout.com.

 

"If there is a better defensive end in the country," Long said, "I need to see him."

 

Martin is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound package of raw athletic talent rarely seen in Cincinnati. Long, who also rates players for Ohio High magazine, lists Martin the No. 1 senior prospect in Ohio this season - just ahead of Colerain safety Eugene Clifford. Martin is rated the nation's No. 45 prospect overall by Rivals.com.

 

"He's got the long, lean body and is so athletic that it's hard for offensive linemen to get their hands on him," said Long. "He's got the high motor you want in any defensive player. He chases plays from one side of the field to the other, and he's a playmaker."

 

He also is a pretty good actor.

 

Martin, who said he'd be in the drama club if he were not playing sports, pulled every trick out of his bag four years ago when trying to convince his mother to let him play football. He was an AAU basketball player in those days, but football was not allowed.

 

Mona Bell, Martin's mother, was like all moms - she did not want her son to get hurt playing football. But Ben was determined to do so as he moved from Mount Airy Elementary to La Salle High School entering the 2003-04 school year.

 

"He cried, so I let him play," Bell said, laughing now. "I said, 'But you're going to get hurt.' And he said, 'I don't know anybody at that school, and that's how I'll make friends.' "

 

Mom relented, with a warning: "If you break something, don't call me."

 

The transition to La Salle, an all-boys' Catholic school, was not easy. After going to grade school with a sizable number of fellow minorities, Martin found himself one of relatively few African-American students at mostly white La Salle.

 

"I didn't have any friends, so I thought football could help me get to know people," Martin said.

 

You probably can guess the rest. Martin wound up having a strong season in both freshman football and in the classroom.

 

By his sophomore year, he was a varsity starter. As a junior, he was an Enquirer all-area player and received second-team all-state mention as he compiled 13 sacks and 15 tackles for loss, and was in on 70 tackles overall. Those are hefty numbers for a defensive lineman at the Greater Catholic League South level, especially a lineman who often is double-teamed.

 

Martin also has excelled on the Lancers' basketball team. Last season he averaged 5.9 points and 5.0 rebounds a game, respectable numbers in the GCL. Though he was not the team's top scorer, La Salle basketball coach Dan Fleming said of Martin's physical presence:

 

"He's the one guy we can't afford not to have."

 

Martin, who carries a 3.6 grade-point average, has become the man for the Lancers' football program. His towering height and muscular build make him easy to spot on the practice field and in the huddle, as an athlete even casual bystanders realize is unique.

 

"He's a 6-5, 230-pound guy and runs a 4.5 in the 40, and that alone makes him pretty special," La Salle football coach Tom Grippa said.

 

Grippa is moving Martin to middle linebacker this season, as La Salle has a need there. Not to mention, it will curtail the double-teaming Martin would have seen at defensive end. For college, Martin expects to be a down lineman.

 

Martin's leading choices for college are Notre Dame and Ohio State. His parents, Mona Bell and Keith Martin, are both from Gary, Ind., just a short drive from Notre Dame's campus in South Bend, Ind. Keith Martin still lives in Gary.

 

"I ran track back in the day and played a little basketball, but I had to work, you know," Keith Martin said. "I knew Ben was going to be a big boy. He loves to eat. He'd eat two bowls of cereal at once, cookies, you name it.

 

"... He always worked hard at whatever he did, and he's going to make it."

 

Ben attributes his status to "a lot of luck. I just went hard, and football drills came natural to me. Then when I was a sophomore and they put me ahead of some seniors on the varsity, right into the fire, I knew I should take advantage of it. The hard-working part comes easy for me, because I like to work."

 

While his parents wouldn't mind seeing him up at Notre Dame, Ben said he will take his time with a college choice. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Florida, Tennessee and Penn State are on his list of potential visits.

 

"He was always a good boy," Bell said of her son. "He always did what he was supposed to do ... and he was always a little scared of his mother."

 

Ben laughs softly at that one.

 

"When it comes down to it, the (college) decision is mine," he said. "... I'll see how it plays out during the season."

 

ARTICLE-CLICK HERE

Ben Martin is big, fast, and has enormous upside and potential considering he's only been playing football for 3 years!!! He's got great grades and his parents have a connection to the ND area, I think it would be a safe bet to say that this kid is going to be Irish. We may be struggling with recruiting top DTs but the staff is doing a phenomenal job at bringing in DEs.