Kaden Martin breaks down multi-sport recruitment
The coronavirus pandemic has put a pause on in-person college football recruiting. Prospects from around the country are missing out on chances to visit and observe spring practices, as well as camp during the summer months.
It affects all classes – specifically for the recruits of 2022. But it’s been all business as usual for Vol legacy Kaden Martin.
“Things have slowed down a bit. I’m still getting calls but obviously can’t go anywhere,” Martin said of the spring. “It’s given me a chance to focus on myself and work on my craft. My mechanics, my tools – I’ve been getting a lot of work in.”
The four-star dual-threat quarterback is the son of Tennessee wide receivers coach Tee Martin, who brought Vol fans a national championship in 1998. He’s also the brother of Clemson standout, and former Knoxville Catholic star, Amari Rodgers.
Together, the two have been a positive influence for the rising junior during the recruiting process.
“They have both been a big help for me in how to handle certain situations,” the quarterback said. “They’ve taught me to focus on the important things and how to have these types of conversations.
“On the field, they’ve taught me how to handle the game and stuff like that.”
The younger Martin, who stars at Knoxville Catholic as well, was offered by Tennessee in February. Since then, many other programs have followed suit with Arkansas, West Virginia and Miami joining the Vols in showing the most interest thus far.
“Tennessee has always been a bit of a dream school for me,” Martin said in a prior interview with Volquest. “I’ve watched all the highlights of my dad from when he was here. Knowing what he did and the records he set, it’s helped me set goals for myself.”
As a sophomore, Martin led Knoxville Catholic in passing yards and touchdowns – taking over the starting gig midway through the season. In the same interview, the quarterback mentioned he was off to a good start but had more work to do.
“I’ve really just been training a lot with my dad,” Martin said of his time during the pandemic. “I’ve been working for both football and baseball. I’m really looking forward to the season and to be out there competing again.”
The 2022 prospect is also a highly-rated prospect on the baseball field. Tennessee, along with mostly every other program who has offered, is giving Martin the opportunity to play baseball at the next level as well.
“It’s a pretty unique situation to be in,” the multi-sport athlete said of his recruitment. “I’m trying to play both for as long as I can. I know I may have to pick one or the other down the line, but I’m keeping both options open right now.”
Training for two sports can be taxing on the body as football workouts call for a different regiment than baseball. Still, Martin is making the most of it by trying to intertwine the strengths that overlap.
“I’m doing a lot of cross-training. There’s stuff that can help me in both sports such as speed work, arm exercises and core work,” Martin said. “I focus on football some days and baseball other days.
“I’m throwing a lot, so I’m making sure to rest and ice the arm as much as I can.”
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound athlete believes the two sports play off one another on the field. The quarterback can take a lot from the diamond and translate it to the gridiron.
“In baseball, you’ve always got to be mentally prepared and thinking about the next play. And if you have a bad day, you know you have another game tomorrow or a few more that week,” Martin said. “That type of mindset can help me in football with going from one play to the next.”
Tennessee recently picked up a quarterback commit for the class of 2021 in Texas native Kaidon Salter but have no known commits for the class of 2022 to date.