
Oliver Martin to Michigan: Wolverines Land 4-Star WR Prospect
Wide receiver Oliver Martin is bringing his dynamic playmaking skills to Michigan in 2017.
Martin announced the news via Twitter on Monday:
Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports shared a video of how Michigan coaches Jim Harbaugh and Pep Hamilton reacted to Martin telling them of his decision:
Hailing from Iowa City, Iowa, Martin had a fantastic 2016 season that resulted in him being named Iowa's Gatorade Player of the Year thanks to catching 85 passes for 1,272 yards and 14 touchdowns, according to Gatorade's official website.
Beyond Martin's numbers, he's a tremendous talent at wide receiver whose game translates well to the college level. He's rated as a 4-star prospect, the No. 1 wideout from the state of Iowa, No. 30 wideout overall and No. 216 player regardless of position, per Scout.com.
In addition to those lofty ratings, Martin's scouting report from Scout.com paints a tremendous picture of what he will add to his new team:
"Very skilled, technical wideout. Excellent route runner with great hands and ability to make catches in traffic. Smart and understands how to get open. Very good athlete with good quickness, leaping ability and body control. Competitive, hard working kid. At 6-foot-1, 188 pounds, he has good size, but is not as big in comparison to other top outside receivers.
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Even though Martin doesn't have a huge frame at this point, his ability to go over the middle will help him succeed because he can line up in the slot.
For all of Harbaugh's strengths as a head coach, including his recruitment and development of defensive talent, his offenses tend to be vanilla.
If the Wolverines want to be in the national-title conversation, finding playmakers on offense is going to be essential. Martin is a terrific fit for what the program needs because he's got the big-play skills to line up on the outside or move inside to make the difficult plays in traffic.
Harbaugh isn't suddenly going to abandon his power-running style to wear down the opposition, but being able to open things up in the passing game will make the already-loaded Michigan roster more lethal in 2017.











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