2010 Mississippi DL names early leader
Madison (Madison Central HS), Miss. defensive lineman Carlton Martin has already picked up one offer and is hearing from several other schools after completing his junior season on the gridiron.
Martin, a 6-foot-2, 258 pound defensive line prospect said on Monday that he picked up an offer last fall from Ole Miss and that he's also receiving letters from LSU, Duke, North Carolina State and a "couple of other schools."
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With the offer in hand and the performance of Ole Miss last fall, it hasn't taken Martin long to name a favorite.
"Ole Miss is may favorite," Martin said. 'I've followed them through the season. It's been fun watching them. I like the way they play and I could see myself playing on the that team."
Martin said he's particularly impressed between Rebel defensive end Greg Hardy and defensive tackle Peria Jerry.
"I would pattern myself after those two," Martin said. "Sometimes I picture myself playing like those guys do for Ole Miss."
Martin played both defensive end and tackle last fall at Madison Central.
Also not lost on Martin is the fact that Madison Central has put some previous players in the NFL via Ole Miss.
"I've met Mike Espy (Rebel receiver 2002-2005) and Chris Spencer (Rebel center 2002-2004)," Martin said. "I know that they played at Ole Miss."
Espy signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins in 2006 and made the team's roster before suffering a serious knee injury in 2007. Spencer was a first round draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks in 2005 after declaring early for the NFL draft.
Martin made two visits to Ole Miss last fall - for the Samford and Auburn games.
"I met coach (Tyrone) Nix and coach (Tracy) Rocker, but we didn't get to talk long because of the game," Martin said. "I also got to meet coach (Derrick) Nix, I think he's going to be my recruiter from Ole Miss."
While Martin clearly favors Ole Miss early in the process, he said that he wants to see which other schools are interested in him and may offer.
"It was kind of between Ole Miss and Mississippi State for me, but the Ole Miss offer makes a big difference," Martin said. "I'm also going to look at LSU and Southern Miss."
Martin reports 56 tackles from his junior season last fall along with 26 quarterback hurries and seven sacks and was named to the Jackson all-metro team.
He said he'll likely attend junior day on a date to be determined later this year and also may camp at Ole Miss.
Martin made an 18 on his first attempt on the ACT and is unsure of his current GPA.