Cal's Top 2022 Commit QB Justyn Martin De-Commits from Golden Bears

Trip to Mississippi apparently made rising, four-star quarterback reopen his recruiting

What has seemed almost inevitable the past few weeks has occurred: Quarterback Justyn Martin, the highest-rated recruit to commit to Cal in the class of 2022, has de-committed from the Golden Bears and has reopened his recruiting.

This is the second major de-commitment for Cal in the past week. Running back Jaydn Ott de-committed from Cal last week. Ott and Martin were the only four-star recruits who had committed to Cal for 2022.

Martin, who attends Inglewood High School in Inglewood, Calif., announced his de-commitment from Cal on Tuesday after completing his weekend visit to Mississippi.

My recruitment is 100% open. pic.twitter.com/owyLh2OKV4

— J M A R T (@justyn_martin8) September 21, 2021

Martin unofficially visited Mississippi in early June, but it was his official visit to Ole Miss this past weekend that seemed to convince Martin to de-commit from Cal.

"Talking to Coach [Lane] Kiffin and Coach [Jeff] Lebby (Mississippi's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach] most of the trip, it really was high-level play all-around," Martin said, according to The Grove Report, which covers Ole Miss football. "The entire facility, the entire town really, was about elite football. The people there were very welcoming and they love football. That's the culture of the town, football. If you're interested in playing high-level football, that's pretty much the spot to be."

Martin also has an official trip to UCLA lined up for October 23, and has been talking to officials at USC as well.

Martin was rated the 10th-best quarterback prospect in the country by Sports Illustrated, and his stock seems to be rising.  He was a starter for only one season of high school ball, and it was a shortened season at that.  His performances in summer camps has impressed college coaches.

He committed to Cal back in January, but has taken trips to other campuses in the meantime. However, he had always remained committed to Cal until this week. Cal could still regain a commitment from Martin, but he would not have de-committed unless he had another school or schools in mind.

Here is what John Garcia and Bryan Driskell, SI's recruiting experts, said about Martin in early July

Justyn Martin

Vitals: 6'4", 210 pounds

School: Inglewood (Calif.) High School

Martin is one of the more intriguing prospects in the country, and this ranking is more about outstanding raw talent and potential than it is about proven production to date. Martin is a one year starter, and that one year was incredibly short due to COVID-19. What Martin has, however, is tremendous raw tools that could allow him to far outplay this ranking.

If you’re someone who values prototypical quarterback size then you’ll love Martin. He’s listed at 6-4 and 201 pounds and he’s still on the thin side. He’ll continue to fill out and pack on even more mass to his frame. As he matures and gets stronger you’ll also see his arm get even stronger, which is something considering how well he already throws the football.

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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