2021 signee Tyas Martin eager to join the Buffs this June
Within a few weeks, the Buffaloes will welcome 12 members of the Class of 2021 to campus, all of whom will formally report to campus and get settled in Boulder.
One such 2021 signee is Jacksonville, Arkansas defensive tackle Tyas Martin, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound prospect who was formerly committed to Virginia Tech before the Buffs swept him up.
Martin, who this summer plans to room with fellow incoming signees Ryan Williams, Allan Baugh and Tyrin Taylor, is looking forward to making the trek to Boulder with his parents, grandmother and brother.
“I report June 14th and I’m excited to get started with the team, the staff and everything," Martin said. "I feel like we have one of the best staff in the nation so I’m very excited. I’m prepared to work and it should be a fun season.”
While it's certainly not often that the Buffs land prospects from the Natural State, Martin will get to Boulder around the same time as a familiar home state face in defensive end transfer Blayne Toll.
Toll, an Arkansas native who transfers to CU from the Razorbacks program, found himself on the receiving end of a recruiting pitch from Martin leading up to his pledge, as the two knew each other from camps they used to attend back home.
“I know him — we all went to Arkansas Elite100 so I reached out to him once he decided to transfer. I told him we have a great staff here (at Colorado), it’s beautiful in Boulder, of course, and he was excited to team up with me. It’s going to be fun.”
Toll is far from the first example of a prospective recruit who has been reached out to by Martin.Within the 2020 class, Carson Lee and Keith Miller III were active recruiters, assisting Colorado's staff in going after desired targets and Martin has definitely assumed that role among his fellow 2021 signees.
The way he sees it, doing so is part of the bigger picture of landing solid players each year to build up the program in Boulder.
“I’m very engaged with other recruits," Martin said. "I’m just trying to build something special at Colorado. I feel like we have a chance to be one of the best teams in the Pac-12. With all the help we can get, we’ll need some. I like to be very active (on Twitter), reaching out to recruits and telling them how everything is.”
A few months ago, Martin received medical clearance to resume working out following numerous months of rehabilitation stemming from spinal surgery he underwent after feeling some discomfort in the aftermath of a squatting session.
While he had to watch from the sidelines as his Jacksonville teammates went through their 2020 season, grinding through the rehab process has Martin feeling more encouraged and ready to hit the ground rolling at Colorado.
“I’m feeling great," Martin said. "I have my strength back, getting back into getting conditioned, I work out two times a day, I do field work on the weekends — I feel great. I’m just ready to get up (to Boulder), learn from coach (Chris) Wilson and get ready to go for the season."
