West wide receiver Oliver Martin makes incredible rankings leap

Recruiting rankings matter. There is a certain amount of due diligence and scouting that goes into this. There has to be, even though every year there's someone in the Super Bowl who was a two-star out-of-nowhere.

No one wants egg on their face, and the popular recruiting sites — Rivals, 247Sports and Scout — are no different from anybody. Yes, there will be the exception that proves the rule (Iowa was incredibly close to tipping over that boat last season), but the more stars, the better.

Rudy will never roll with the Tide.

This is all preamble to 247Sports latest Top247 rankings, which does include a local hook that will interest you.

First, Iowa City West wide receiver Oliver Martin attended The Opening finals recruiting camp in Oregon on the weekend of July 9-10. He walked off the plane a three-star recruit without a huge national profile. By the time he went home to Iowa City, he had quarterback Dylan McCaffrey, brother of Stanford superstar Christian McCaffrey and a Michigan recruit, texting Michigan coaches telling them they should offer Martin a scholarship.

Michigan did just that.

247Sports director of scouting Barton Simmons was able to watch Martin live at last week's camp.

'He's one of the best receivers in this entire class,' Simmons said on the 247Sports Michigan website. 'He was the steadiest pass catcher of the event. He worked out in the slot and motioned out of the backfield. His coaches were scheming to get him touches because they knew they could count on him to make plays. He's not just a productive receiver though. He's a freaky athlete with a crazy ceiling.'

Going into The Opening, Martin was rated as 247Sports' 87th-best receiver and fifth-best player in Iowa. Nationally, Martin was No. 567.

That changed in a big way on Wednesday. Martin is now 247Sports' No. 10 wide receiver (jumping 77 spots) and is No. 67 nationally (a change of 500 spots!!!!). Martin is now an extremely hot stock.

Here's 247Sports on Wednesday: 'One of the true Cinderella stories of the offseason, Martin went from MAC-bound to one of the hottest wide receivers in the Midwest after some strong camp showings and now Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa and Wisconsin are fighting over him.'

Martin is a four-star prospect on 247Sports and Scout. Rivals has him ranked as a three-star WR. He has offers from the above along with Oregon, Minnesota, BYU, Indiana and Army.

Five days ago after an Iowa City West baseball game, Martin talked to HawkeyeReport.com, among others, about where his recruitment stands and what his plans are.

Q: You are an Iowa City kid and grew up here, but you want to go thru the process. Can you explain to fans why you want to go thru the process and let it play out?

MARTIN: I want to get all the options I can and find the best fit for me. I don't want to jump and commit too soon and maybe that doesn't end up being the right place for me. I guess I just want to get to know the schools as best I can before I make a decision so I can make the best decision.

As a junior for the Trojans last season, Martin caught 73 passes for 1,187 yards and 14 touchdowns.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com