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2022 QB Henry Martin receiving college interest

2022 in-state quarterback Henry Martin
2022 in-state quarterback Henry Martin (Derek Young/K-StateOnline)

An interesting recruitment that will be intriguing to track is that of 2022 in-state quarterback Henry Martin. He is the signal-caller at Blue Valley North High, which happens to be the high school that is also home to two 2022 prospects that already hold power five offers in linebacker Dasan McCullough and receiver Mekhi Miller.

While Kansas State has yet to offer McCullough and Miller and they’re likely to show minimal interest in the Wildcats even if they do, Chris Klieman and company will keep Martin on their radar.

He was very highly thought of entering high school because of his strong arm. His freshman year of high school put him on the map even more, but his sophomore year didn’t go as planned.

The shine on Martin dissipated a bit, as his play was affected by an injury that he has since recovered from, but he opened up about the year that was full of adversity.

“I had a strain in my back,” he explained. “This offseason, I was just told to be careful and not injure it further. I took a month off, relaxed, rode the bike and the time came back around and I was cleared. I slowly worked myself back into it and now I’m back to 100 percent.”

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“It was pretty much hurt all last year,” Martin added. “I hurt it last summer, about a year ago. It was just one of those things where I wasn’t going to take the season off just because of a strained back. It was nothing horrible and my teammates count on me. I just wanted to keep at it and, being a sophomore, I just had to put on for the seniors. It was their last time playing football. I just had to keep at it and keep working.”

It is clear from his performance at the second Kansas City showcase at Park Hill South High School that he has regained his old form. Martin showed off a live arm and one that could make every throw on the field. Not only that, his cerebral approach to the game and high football IQ was on full display during the 7-on-7 portion of the event, too.

“It feels good, really, to be back out there in competitive environments,” he noted. “Competition makes everyone better. All I can do is get better. Sometimes you make mistakes and then you learn from them. It’s a quarterback’s dream to learn every single day.”

As a prospect, power five programs are going to love his arm. He’s not the biggest player in the world, but that isn’t the only thing that will be considered. His arm talent will be appealing to many coaches and they’ll want to see how he bounces back during his junior campaign.

“Yeah, a bunch of schools are still showing interest,” Martin pointed out. “I’ve heard from Iowa State, Washington, K-State, Nebraska, Kansas and a lot of other schools are still talking to me. They just want to see more film. Hopefully we have a season. But I can only control what I can control and just get better every day.”

The rising junior does hold many connections to the program in Manhattan.

“I have a long line of family members that went to K-State,” Martin shared. “My father, my uncle, my aunt. Their siblings all went there. It is my sister’s favorite school. She runs track for the University of New Orleans, but she still loves K-State.”

Would it be somewhat of a dream offer for him?

“Yes,” he responded. “But any offer is a dream offer, really. It might carry more weight, though, especially for my family.”

At this point, he would just be appreciative of any opportunity that may come his way.

“It would be great,” Martin stated. “All the hard work for years is what I think about. It would be an accomplishment on the road of many accomplishments. It’s not a pat on the back. It’s more than that. You have to think of it like that and keep working to get better for that college if they want you. You have to work even harder to hopefully, eventually, start for that college. That’s why they offer you.”

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