Wisconsin football recruiting: UW getting in early with talented 2023 defensive back

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any major college athletics team, but following it closely as a fan can sometimes be difficult and can often be time consuming. We’ll try and condense all the recruiting news you can use into this bi-weekly (or more often since we are in Uncertain Times and there aren’t actual sports going on) post. It’ll include updates on current commits, including stats from their high school games, as well as news on players the Badgers are still pursuing. Let’s get down to business!

New offer

• 2023 4-star (247Sports standalone) DB Cole Martin (Chandler, Ariz.) out of Hamilton High School announced via his Twitter account on Wednesday that he had received an offer from the Wisconsin Badgers. Martin also has offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Florida State, Iowa State, LSU, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Southern Cal among others.

Martin currently stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 175 pounds but as he’s only a high school sophomore he’ll probably grow more before he is ready to enroll in college. 247Sports has him ranked as the No. 68 player in the 2023 class as well as the No. 14 CB and the top player in the state of Arizona.

In 12 games as a freshman at Hamilton, Martin was credited with 38 total tackles, five pass break-ups and an interception, which he returned 78 yards for a touchdown.

247Sports’ Blair Angulo has seen Martin play and came away impressed:

Smaller in stature but high upside physically with long arms, Martin is a stingy defensive back who is very comfortable on the perimeter. He can match up one on one and looks smooth through his backpedal to keep up with receivers. Martin can sit in zone and is quick to react to plays in front of him. He shows good route awareness to stick to wideouts. Martin is a high level competitor and willing contributor in run support. He has some value as a returner on special teams, too. Although he could continue to add strength and physicality to his game, Martin is a potential multi-year starter at an elite Power Five program with chance to garner serious NFL Draft attention.

Angulo also notes that Martin’s father is the defensive backs coach at Colorado, giving the Buffs a leg up on everyone right away.

It is impressive to see a freshman cornerback with the ability to read what the offense is trying to do so well. He’s extremely precocious when it comes to that. He also doesn’t quit on plays, as proven by two highlights where he chases down a ball carrier and prevents them from scoring. I’d also contend that he provides more that “some value” as a returner, he was downright electric in some of the return highlights!

Martin has a tough offer list already but the Badgers have had some luck in Arizona over recent recruiting classes so maybe their momentum can continue.