Corey Martinez 6-4 295 lbs 2014 Tampa Catholic OL
Accolades:
All BCP 3rd Team
All District 15 FACA Selection
Honorable Mention US Army Combine
Honorable Mention AP Class 3A All-State Team
Ranked as the 2nd-best OL, number 17 prospect overall in BCP Winter 49
MaxPreps 2nd Team US Air Force Sophomore All-American
MaxPreps US Air Force Freshman All-American
Early Offer: USF
Interest: Alabama, Florida, FSU, Georgia, Michigan State, Mississippi St., Northwestern, Stanford, TCU, UCF
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Football wasn’t always a passion for Tampa Catholic offensive lineman Corey Martinez. He didn’t grow up with NFL dreams like many kids involved with Little League or Pop Warner football. In fact, until sixth grade he didn’t even consider playing football.
His father Ronnie Martinez played professional baseball – a pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization before a shoulder injury ended his career.
“Until the sixth grade I was all baseball,” Martinez said. With a professional baseball player in the family his pull toward baseball was understandable. “I kind of got tired of baseball so I started playing football in middle school. I realized I was actually pretty good and I developed a passion for football.”
‘Pretty good’ is a humble understatement from the 6-foot 4-inch sophomore.
He has caught the eye of a number of major college programs and continues to work hard in preparation for his junior year. Martinez has been hitting the weights hard and says that football is always on his mind. He has trimmed down a little and currently weighs 295 pounds (he was around 310 at the end of the 2011 season).
“A lot of coaches say Corey could play for them right now,” Mike Gregory, Tampa Catholic Offensive Coordinator said. “He works his tail off in the weight room. To say that a sophomore is one of your leaders in the weight room is impressive.”
“He is still raw,” Gregory explained, “but he is about as polished as any sophomore offensive lineman. He has a lot of upside, a lot of potential.”
Martinez holds an early offer from USF and has drawn interest from a number of schools including, Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Georgia and Michigan State, among others. It has been noted by a number of different media outlets that Martinez is a huge FSU fan. He has even been on record calling it his dream school.
“I made a mistake saying FSU was my favorite school,” Martinez explained. “I really like FSU, but I really like other schools too. Just because I like FSU doesn’t mean that it’s the only school I like.”
The sophomore lineman was emphatic in his claims that while he is a fan of FSU, he is completely open-minded throughout his recruiting process.
When he isn’t on the Football field, or in the weight room, Martinez says he enjoys fishing calling it his “biggest hobby.”
“I like deep sea fishing, but I really like going out on a small canoe with my dad and fishing inshore too,” Martinez said. “It takes my mind off of things and its fun to get out there.”
As the off-season progresses the dominant offensive lineman says he will continue working hard and hopes to stay on the radars of college coaches.
He has two years to continue to develop his 6-foot 4-inch frame and will continue to be a major signing out of the 2014 class.
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