Martin hopes to do big things at Washington State

Houma native and Ellender graduate Davontavean Martin practically had scholarship offers coming out of his ears during his recruiting process last winter.

The dominant athlete was being recruited in two sports – football and basketball. He had multiple offers in both, which is what happens when you’re one of the most decorated athletes in the history of a school that’s been filled with college-bound stars.

But at the end of the day, Martin said he wanted to go to a place where he fit the scheme, while also felt loved.

To find both those things, Martin had to accept a scholarship offer from a school which sits more than 2,400 miles away from Houma.

It’s old news by now that Martin signed with Washington State University on National Signing Day – a school which will afford the Patriots’ standout the opportunity to play in a pass-happy offensive scheme throughout his collegiate career.

Martin has already moved to Pullman, Washington and is adjusting to life on the Pacific Northwest.

He said the entire experience has been life-changing, but quickly added that he’s ready to get to work with the Cougars this fall.

“Washington is different because of the weather here,” Martin said. “It gets colder later on during the day, but for the most part, the weather is perfect. Pullman is a smaller town, but it has less violence and our campus is huge. It’s all been a great transition. I’m just ready to finish getting settled in and hit the field this fall.”

Martin likely fits the Cougars’ scheme perfectly.

With Ellender, he was unquestionably one of the best athletes in Louisiana – a two-sport, First-Team All-State competitor.

On the basketball hardwood, Martin was named the Class 4A Louisiana Most Outstanding Player after leading the Patriots all the way to the Class 4A State Championship game – dominating the State Playoffs with an array of offensive moves.

Martin started his recruitment as a basketball prospect and he was once a verbal commitment to the University of New Orleans early in his career.

“He makes plays,” Patriots basketball coach Cornell Scott said. “He’s a tremendous athlete. He is versatile and can do many, many things to help a team throughout a game.”

But while all eyes were on Martin’s basketball recruitment, the Ellender standout peaked quickly in football and that ended up being the sport he chose to pursue at the next level.

As a senior, Martin was one of the top receivers in the area, catching 45 passes for 751 yards and eight touchdowns for an Ellender team which made the playoffs in Class 4A.

Martin’s receiving numbers were also less impressive than they could have been because he only played the position half of the time. He also was a wildcat quarterback for Ellender, rushing for 493 yards and five scores.

Defensively, Martin was also a force, making 36 stops with two interceptions.

The future Cougar also returned a fumble, an interception, two punts and a kickoff for a score last season – making him among the most versatile and explosive players in the state.

“If we didn’t need him on the field, I think we’d ask him to sell popcorn for us in the concession stand,” Patriots coach David McCormick said with a laugh last season when asked to judge Martin’s impact. “He’s everywhere. He’s all over the field. We lean on him so heavily, but I think he expects that. He wants to be involved. He wants to be in the middle of the action. He’s just an intense, fierce competitor.”

As Martin dominated the competition, his offer list grew longer and longer.

He had offers from virtually all of the small-to-medium-sized schools in the Southeast, including UL-Lafayette, UL-Monroe, Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern Miss, Tulane (a school which once held a verbal commitment from Martin) and several others.

Late in the recruiting process, some major-conference programs got involved and Martin collected offers from Toledo, East Carolina, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Virginia and, of course, Washington State.

Martin said he was initially nervous about committing to the Cougars because of how far the school’s campus is from home.

But he went on an official visit during the spring and said those nerves immediately faded away once he got the chance to meet coach Mike Leach and the rest of the staff.

“I love our system and how Coach Leach runs his air-raid offense,” Martin said. “But what led me here, honestly, was the coaching staff. They showed me so much love and our facilities here are breath taking. They really made me want to be a Cougar.”

So with the process all over and Martin now in his new home, he said it’s all business.

Martin said he’s working tirelessly to get stronger in the weight room so that he can beat the press coverage packages that he knows he’s going to see from Pac 12 defenses.

While his body takes shape, Martin said he’s also focused heavily on running routes so that Leach and the rest of the offensive staff can build confidence in him no matter what type of play is called.

“There’s always room for improvement,” Martin said.

But while looking to the future, Martin said he also takes time to look back, as well, calling his days as a Patriot the best times of his life.

He said he has a lot of memories that he cherishes at Ellender, but what he’s most impressed with was how big of an impact he was able to make on every sport he played – no matter what he was asked to do by his coaches.

He said he hopes to be able to do the same thing at Washington State in the future, though he knows he has to work awfully hard to make that a reality.

“In high school, I had an ability to go get the ball no matter where it was,” Martin said. “I had a playmaking ability on the field – no matter what position I played. That’s my goal here – to keep that going.”

DaVontavean Martin

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