AUSTIN, Texas -- A trip to Austin for the Texas state track meet turned into an unofficial visit for Alvin (Texas) Manvel jumbo athlete Koda Martin last weekend.
Koda Martin set to decide between top five
The big Manvel product is still trying to find some separation in his top group.
There to support two Manvel track athletes, Martin also visited with the Texas Longhorns coaching staff. Having already seen the facilities previously, the tight end/defensive end who could grow into an offensive tackle spent the time getting the know the staff better.
“They’re still excited about me and definitely want me to come to Texas,” Martin said in between receiving recruiting pitches from Texas early enrollee Jake Raulerson, who spent a significant amount of time talking to the Manvel product.
“They made me feel welcome and just showed me some love,” he told SB Nation Recruiting.
Various schools like Martin at different positions -- the ‘Horns like him as a defensive end who could grow into an offensive tackle and a player who could see some time as a situational tight end.
The 6’7, 250-pounder said that Texas had been able to make up some ground with him despite entering his recruitment late, noting that they do rank in his top group of schools, which also includes Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.
Of that group, Martin said that there aren’t any that have separated themselves at this point.
“It’s hard to turn one school down and say yes to this one. Everybody has great facilities and good coaches and most of these programs are winning programs. So it’s hard to rank them in any order because they are such great schools,” Martin said.
So what will be the deciding factor for Manvel head coach’s son?
“What feels like the best fit for me,” he said. “The people there, whether I fit in with them and feel at peace there.”
What is the biggest factor in fit? Well, that’s not an easy question to answer for Martin, who says that there are a number of factors that go into it.
Martin’s trying to make a decision in the next month or so, but to do that, he’s going to have to figure out a way to separate all those programs, as well as go through the difficult process of telling some coaches that have spent a great deal of time and energy that he’s headed somewhere else.
And the jumbo athlete seems genuinely conflicted about where that will be, though the industry believes it will be Texas A&M, as the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions all point to the Aggies.
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