National Signing Day 2017: Welcome to Penn State, Robert Martin

The culmination of the recruiting season is just around the corner, as National Signing Day 2017 is only days away. Here at Black Shoe Diaries, we’ll have coverage of Penn State’s recruiting class, taking a player-by-player look at each member of the class, and taking a bigger picture look at the class as a whole. Thanks for stopping by, and if you aren’t already following, please follow @BSDTweet on Twitter for more recruiting news and notes.

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Robert Martin has not been shy about his affinity for Penn State, calling it his “dream school.” The New Jersey native received his offer during an unofficial visit in February 2016. The day after his visit to Happy Valley for the Blue-White Game, Martin made his commitment official.

Martin was recruited by offensive line coach Matt Limegrover, and chose the Nittany Lions over offers from Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Pitt, Duke, Maryland and others.

Highlights

Scouting Report

Martin has the versatility that James Franklin desires in offensive linemen, and could eventually line up at either guard or tackle. At 6’5’’ and growing, he may be more apt to play tackle, but will ultimately see the field wherever he is needed most down the road.

Like his classmate Mike Miranda, Martin is aggressive and has a nasty streak. He plays through the whistle and often drives his opponent well out of the play (if he doesn’t first knock him to the ground, that is). He demonstrates excellent footwork for a high school player, which shows he is a coachable player who has an excellent opportunity to develop into a standout lineman at the next level.

Outlook

Martin is a very safe bet to redshirt in 2017. At around 260 lbs., he will need at least a year to bulk up and develop physically. Expect plenty of Corner Room breakfast buffets and piles of ribeyes at Otto’s in his future. The current staff have a proven track record of bulking up the new offensive lineman, and some time in the weight room should be very productive in getting him closer to 300 lbs.

James Franklin’s ultimate goal is to have the offensive linemen spend two years in the program before seeing significant playing time. Now that the unit has recovered from the depth issues that plagued it in recent years, Martin should be able to be coached up while adding weight before being added to the mix in 2019. With his versatility and strong technique, Martin will become an asset before too long.