GTK: Jalil Martin fits the prototype of what Nebraska looks for in DBs

Jalil Martin‘s length, athleticism, and unusually long wingspan is preferred by the Husker coaches for their defensive backs. He only had a baker’s dozen offers, but he undoubtedly would have had many more if not for the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Martin made a concerted effort to travel to as many colleges as he could for private workouts and camps, which earned him the bulk of his scholarship tenders. Including from Nebraska.

Husker head coach Scott Frost gave his signing day comments about Martin:

“(Coach Travis Fisher) did a great job with him. Jalil’s a safety from Chicago that was not really on our radar until he came down to football camp this summer. Fisher started watching him and started to get really interested then he went to grab (Coach Chinander) and he started to get really interested then they came and grabbed me and I got really interested. He is another great kid with a great family. I feel honestly that he is under-recruited a little bit and we are lucky that we got him to Nebraska.”

Below is another in our series of “Getting to know you” features which we will be running on the members of Nebraska’s 2022 recruiting class.

Jalil Martin

Position: Safety

Chicago (Ill.) Kenwood

Current size: 6-foot-3, 190-pounds

Rankings: Martin is rated a 5.7 three-star by Rivals, as well as the No. 40 safety prospect in the country and the No. 13 recruit in the state of Illinois for this last cycle. He was also named a Class 6A all-state selection by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association.

Statistics: As a senior on offense, Martin had four receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, he had 19 total tackles with six pass break-ups and one interception. He only played in eight games this season.

Other schools offering scholarships: Illinois, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Colorado, Washington State, Syracuse, Boston College, Wyoming and Bowling Green.

What do you do in your spare time?

“Listen to music, sleep and watch television.”

What food do you like the best?

“My favorite food actually is ham.”

What is your favorite television show?

“My favorite TV show right now is Power. It’s like a drama show.”

Do you have a favorite movie?

“The Bee movie. It’s been my favorite movie since I was a child.”

What type of music do you listen to and who is your favorite musical artist?

“I listen to hip hop and R&B. Some of my favorite artists are Lil Durk and Polo G.”

Who is your celebrity crush?

” I don’t have one.”

Who has provided great inspiration to you in your life?

“I would say my father. He’s just been there every step of the way with whatever I do.”

What person(s) from history or alive today would you most like to sit down and have dinner with?

“That’s tough. I would say Jalen Ramsey. I would like to learn about his process from being a high school athlete to where he is now. What all it took to get there.”

Do you have a nickname?

“J7.”

What is something very few people know about you?

“I guess it’s that I like math.”

If football wasn’t an option, what would your dream career be?

“I would probably say a personal trainer. I always wanted to start my own gym after football.”

Do you have a major picked out yet?

“Kinesiology.”

Have you met all the academic requirements to enroll at Nebraska?

“Yeah.”

Who is your favorite football player of all-time?

“I would say Jalen Ramsey, too. I just haven’t seen anybody play the way he plays, and bring the type of intensity he brings.”

Who is the best football player you’ve personally played against in a game?

“I would say Malik Elzy. He goes to Simeon high school [in Chicago]. He’s probably the only player that I faced whose as big as me with his size. We’re actually kind of the same height, and he’s a freak athlete. He’s a humongous receiver. We had some trouble facing him.”

What has been the most memorable moment on the football field so far in your career?

“I would say my entire career has been memorable. You know, actually, after my last game I was thinking about where I started and how far I have come, you know. Seeing all of that progression.”

Which school are you most looking forward to playing against in college?

“Not any college, really. I’m not looking forward to any college. I’m just glad to be playing at the level that I am playing at.”

Do you have a pre-game ritual?

“For the most part, no. Just a prayer. That’s it.”

Did you play other sports growing up or in high school?

“Yeah, I ran track. The 200m, the 110 hurdles, and I did high jump. I’m not going to do track this year.”

What is the one thing you most need to work on to play at the next level?

“I feel like I have to work hard on all my skill set and try to improve everything I do.”

How often do you work out and what is your routine?

“As far as training, I train four days a week with my strength and conditioning coach at my school. Then I will go do defensive backs training with Keith Houley.”

What did you know about the Nebraska football program before they offered and started recruiting you?

“I knew that they were good back in the day. I didn’t know any specific details about how good they were, I just knew they were good.”

Do you have any family ties to the Husker football program or the state of Nebraska?

“No, I don’t.”

How did you inform the Nebraska staff of your commitment?

“Coach Travis Fisher. When I told him he was excited, and he brought me over to Coach Frost and Coach Frost was even more excited. Yeah, I did [commit on my visit].”

What were the major determining factors in your picking Nebraska and signing with the Huskers?

“It was mostly just knowing who I was going to play for and what type of coaches the program had. So, it was seeing how the coaches recruited me and recruited my parents. They made me feel like a priority and they made me feel at home. Then getting to meet all the academic advisers and all the rest of the staff, and the academics at the actual school.”

Did the Nebraska coaches do anything unique when they were recruiting you that other colleges didn’t?

“I would probably say the constant communication. They really connected with me, my coaches, and my family. It was just a better relationship. I feel more comfortable with them.”

Which Nebraska coach do you feel especially close to?

“Coach Fish. We’ve been in touch since I came up there for the Friday Night Lights camp.”

What was the best feature of your official visit to Nebraska?

“The fan base. Just how true and down to earth they are to the Nebraska tradition and culture there. As soon as I stepped foot on campus, they knew who I was and that I was on my official visit. They encouraged me to come play for Nebraska.”

Did Nebraska’s weather factor into your recruitment?

“No, it didn’t.”

Did you make friends with any current players at Nebraska or incoming freshmen during the process?

“I would say I am pretty cool with all the guys. I haven’t got to speak with them very much, but I probably won’t do that until we actually get on campus together.”

What did you think of Nebraska’s season?

“I see a lot of potential in Nebraska. I watched every game, and even in the game that I attended against Ohio State, I see how close we were to winning all those games. We lost all of those games by one touchdown or single digits or something like that. I mean, I still have complete faith in the program. I see how close they are actually and I see that they are headed in the right direction. I expect a winning season this season.”

What’s the funniest or craziest thing that happened to you during the recruiting process?

“I can’t really think of anything because my recruiting was pretty much straight-forward.”

What was your favorite moment during the recruiting process?

“I would say going to all of these camps and things and being able to earn my offers. And after earning my offers, visiting the schools that I had offers from.”

What was the worst moment during the recruiting process?

“I would say the COVID outbreak that we had.”

What is one thing you learned that you would share with a recruit going through the process now?

“I would say just to focus on playing football and to focus on school. I would say that football usually comes easily, so make sure to focus on school. Don’t overthink the recruiting process. You don’t want to let anything get to your head or become too big-headed or anything like that. Stay humble.”

Which schools tried to get in the picture with you and wanted you to visit after you committed to Nebraska?

“Yeah actually, the University of Iowa. I actually talked to a lot of schools after I committed. The University of Michigan was another one.”

Which school would you have chosen if you hadn’t decided in favor of Nebraska?

“I really wouldn’t know. I mean, I had a top four schools, but for the most part I wasn’t ready to pick any of those other schools. Illinois, Colorado and Ole Miss where the other three schools in my top four.”

What position will you be playing at Nebraska?

“I will be playing defensive back.”

Are you expecting to redshirt your first year at Nebraska?

“I haven’t made that decision yet.”

What number would you like to wear at Nebraska?

“I would like to wear No. 7. It not 7, then 5.”

What will you bring to Nebraska as far as a strong point?

“I would say a leader with a dawg mentality that wants the program to win. I’m a winner, so I just want to play and to win, hopefully. I want to make history at Nebraska. I want to leave a mark there.”

Are you planning to attend the Huskers’ Red-White spring game?

“Most likely, yes.”

What would you like to say to the Nebraska fans?

“Get ready.”