New BYU Running Back LJ Martin Discusses His Path to BYU

Martin flipped his commitment to BYU in front of family and friends on signing day

On Wednesday's national signing day, four-star running back LJ Martin stood at a podium in front of a crowd of family and friends and flipped his commitment from Stanford to BYU. Martin has been one of the most productive running backs in Texas over the last two years with over 4,800 rushing yards and 52 touchdowns. We caught up with Martin to discuss his path to Provo.

Martin is a native of El Paso, Texas and he prepped at Canutillo High School. He racked up offers from various Power Five programs before he committed to Stanford over the Summer. Martin had many options to choose from, but it was the people at BYU that ultimately made the difference in his recruitment. "The people there," Martin said on what stood out about BYU during his recruitment. "From recruits, coaches and players. I felt they are genuine people and want the best for you."

Martin told Cougs Daily that he grew closest to BYU running backs coach Harvey Unga and offensive analyst Tysonal McDaniel during his recruitment. "I feel we have a great relationship," Martin said. "They are easy to talk to. I feel I am in good hands with them as well as the rest of the coaching staff."

Prior to being recruited by BYU, Martin was aware of the BYU football program and its offense. "I was aware that BYU ran the ball but also had a good passing offense, and that their offensive line is a strength of the program." Martin told Cougs Daily. 

At the end of the 2022 regular season, BYU traveled to Stanford and took down the Cardinal 35-26 behind a dominant rushing attack. The Cougars ran for 358 yards and controlled the game from the opening kick. After the game, Stanford head coach Dave Shaw resigned, opening the door for BYU to offer LJ and visit him at his home. BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick acknowledged on Wednesday that it didn't hurt to run the football so well against Stanford that day. "[It] probably didn't hurt that we ran the ball pretty well in that last game against those guys," Roderick said. "He was aware of that and sort of aware of what we've done on offense the last couple of years with our running backs."

Martin decided to flip his commitment from Stanford to BYU before the early signing day. Aaron Roderick told the media on Wednesday that the BYU staff has been keeping Martin a secret since December. "He actually signed with us back in December on the early signing day," Roderick said. "We've managed to keep it a secret the whole time."

"We were super excited," LJ said when describing the moment that he and his family decided to flip his commitment to the Cougars. "It was just a blessing to have an opportunity to play for a program like BYU."

Martin kept his BYU signing a secret - he was waiting for signing day when he could flip his commitment in front of his community of teammates and friends. On Wednesday morning, Martin stood at a podium in the school auditorium. A Stanford hat sat on the top of the podium, but Martin announced his commitment to BYU and pulled out a blue BYU hat.

Canutillo RB LJ Martin headed to BYU switches from commit to Stanford pic.twitter.com/iMpHml3FGb

— Felix Chavez (@Fchavezeptimes) February 1, 2023

Martin described the moment as "something [he's] always dreamed of." He added, "It was so cool to share it with people that watched me grow up and the players that I grew up playing with."

When describing Martin to the media, Roderick said, "He's just a great fit, He's a high character, high academic standards guy and his recruitment was a team effort...we're super excited about him."

After turning on his highlights, it doesn't take long to see why Martin was such a highly-coveted recruit. He has great size at 6'2, 205 pounds, but it's not just his size that makes him so difficult to bring to the ground. He possesses a rare combination of elusiveness, size, vision, and power. He is also a receiving threat out of the backfield and was used as a receiver on various occasions. Martin has the talent to make an early impact at BYU. "I’m excited to get to work, just ready to contribute in any way I can," Martin said. 

Martin will enroll at BYU over the Summer, and he is excited to take the field in a BYU uniform this Fall. "The reaction from BYU fans has been awesome," Martin said. "You can feel their passion for football and I can’t wait to play in front of them at Lavell Edwards Stadium."

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