Michigan Football: 4-star Tyler Martin seems destined for Wolverines

Michigan football recruit Tyler Martin will make his decision tonight and all signs are pointing towards a Wolverine commitment.

Michigan football has been recruiting four-star linebacker Tyler Martin for years and on Friday, all of that effort should finally pay off with a commitment.

Martin announced recently that he was be making his college decision known Friday at 6:15 PM EST and the four-star linebacker will be deciding between the Wolverines, Virginia, Boston College and Vanderbilt, but every expert pick has Martin going to U-M.

Don Brown has been the lead guy here and he’s the reason Michigan was the first to offer Martin before he even got into high school. Now, he’s a 6-foot-3, 235-pound inside linebacker, who is ranked as the No. 271 prospect in the 247 composite rankings and 10th among ILBs.

Martin also has seven crystal ball predictions from 247 sports and all of them are with the Wolverines, with an average confidence level of eight on a scale of 1-10.

Here’s the scouting report on Martin from 247 sports’ Brian Dohn:

"“Strong, thick build ideal for inside linebacker. Can bulk up and play on the defensive line or can drop weight and play linebacker. Has mentality to play inside the box as a linebacker. Strength is already an asset. Plays physical with little wasted movement. Sorts through traffic to get to ball carrier. Takes on blocks and disengages well. Intelligent player. Prepares well. Top-end speed a concern. Has to show he can get to the edge against elite competition. Work on lateral movement is needed. Improvement needed in-depth drops in coverage. Power 5 starter.”"

Martin is that old-school inside linebacker. He may have some issues in coverage and he will need to work on his quickness, but you need some tough dues in the Big Ten and Martin fits the bill.

When you watch his highlights, you can really see him excel in the box and his instincts are just off the charts. Many times when he makes a tackle, he knifes into the backfield untouched.

His ability to cover and move sideline-to-sideline is a bit of a concern, especially when thinking about the Ohio State’s of the world. He does catch a few touchdown passes as a tight end/H-back but this is the kind of player that will excel in the box and is intelligent in coverage.

Martin showed some effectiveness as a blitzer and he also does a good job of disengaging from blockers which is another good sign. With solid D-lineman in front of him, he’s a tackling machine.

While Martin does seem to be high on Virginia, he’s been mentioning loyalty in his pre-commitment interviews. He mentioned it with 247 sports and here’s what he told Rivals ($):

"“Michigan has obviously been towards the top of my list since it was my first offer. Loyalty and family really stick out with them. The coaching staff has been great. Having a lot of connections has been awesome as well.”"

Michigan football is well known for creating that family atmosphere with its recruits and since the Wolverines were the first to offer, that checks the loyalty box too. They have never wavered.

Just about every expert is projecting Martin to Michigan and at this point, it’s the only pick that makes sense. The Wolverines have done really well in Massachusetts and tonight, they will be getting another top-notch commitment from the Northeast.