BYU Flips Stanford RB Commit LJ Martin on Signing Day

It's signing day and BYU has flipped running back prospect LJ Martin from Stanford to BYU. Martin, a native of El Paso, Texas, has been one of the most productive running backs in Texas over the last two seasons. He was named to the TSWA Class 5A First-Team All State last season after eclipsing 1,900 rushing yards and tallying 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022. In 2021, Martin ran for over 2,700 yards which ranked in the top five in Texas.

Major National Signing Day flip!

4-star Canutillo running back LJ Martin has signed with BYU this morning after being committed to Stanford since last summer. Huge coup for the Cougars; Martin is a big-time talent.

This flip had been in the works for some time. #NSD23 #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/hMOs8QGxzP
— Colin Deaver (@ColinDeaverTV) February 1, 2023

Martin becomes the highest-rated high school running back to ever sign with BYU. The importance of this recruiting win can't be overstated for BYU as it heads to the Big 12. True freshman are rarely expected to contribute right away, but Martin has the talent to do just that in Provo.

Every year, the college football coaching carousel creates recruiting opportunities late in the recruiting cycle. This year, it was the departure of Stanford's Dave Shaw that opened the door for BYU. Shortly after Shaw's resignation, BYU entered the race for LJ Martin. Martin had been committed to the Cardinal since the Summer. Martin also received offers from various Big 12 schools like Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas Tech during the recruiting process. BYU made an in-home visit to Martin in December and brought him on campus for an official visit a few weeks later. The late push from BYU running backs coach Harvey Unga and the rest of the coaching staff paid major dividends. First, Martin declined to sign with Stanford during the early signing period. Then BYU sealed the deal with Martin during the traditional signing period.

Martin is one of the most difficult backs to tackle in this class. 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. You can check out his high school highlights below.

Martin's commitment fills a major need in this class. He is the second running back in the class of 2023. He joins UNLV transfer Aidan Robbins who committed to BYU on in December.

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