Derby Senior Cornerback Martel Jackson Commits To Play Football At Kansas State
On May 30, Derby senior Martel Jackson announced on his X account that Kansas State became the first Division I school to offer him a scholarship to play football.
It took just a little over a week for Jackson, 6-foot-2, 175-pounds, to realize he didn’t need to wait longer for other offers. He committed to be a Wildcat.
No question, if Jackson waited as he played his senior season at Derby, he would have generated more offers.
Jackson started blossoming as a cornerback for the perennial Kansas 6A power last season. He recorded nearly 40 tackles in a season in which Derby lost 22-19 in the championship game to Gardner-Edgerton.
Five days before Jackson received the offer from K-State, he showed why he would be a valuable addition to the Wildcat football program. At the state track meet in Kansas. he took third in the 200-meter dash and fifth in the 100-meter dash.
His time of 10.6 seconds in the 100 shows a quick burst of speed that will come in handy as he matures into a college football player and is asked to cover some of the most talented wide receivers in the country in the Big 12.
Jackson is the fourth high school football player to commit to K-State this spring. He joins Dillon Duff, 6-2, 200-pound quarterback DeSmet (Missouri), Will Kemna-5, 260 defensive tackle, Helias Catholic (Missouri), 6 and Weston Polk, 6-2, 210 linebacker, Coppell (Texas).
Expect several more commitments this week. K-State welcomed over 10 recruits to campus over the weekend. Late spring and early summer is an excellent time for football players to commit because it allows them to focus on their high school team in the fall.
DAVID BOYCE