Apopka (Fla.) cornerback Nikai Martinez picked up one of his biggest offers yet on Monday when Clemson pulled the trigger.
The talented class of 2022 recruit received the gratifying news of his offer from the Tigers via cornerbacks coach Mike Reed.
“It felt very good!” Martinez told The Clemson Insider. “Coach Reed told me about my offer when I called him on the phone. He was telling me how (Monday) was a very good day now that they offered me. And how good it felt because of all the hard work he knows I put in.”
Martinez (5-10, 170) intrigues Reed with his cover skills and instincts.
“He said he liked how I can read the field at a corner position,” Martinez said, “and that I was a good cover corner.”
Martinez has not made a visit to Clemson in the past but plans to check out the school and program as soon as he can after the NCAA ends its suspension of all on-campus recruiting, which was recently extended through the end of July.
While Martinez has not yet seen Clemson in person, he is very interested in the Tigers based on what he knows about the program Dabo Swinney has built.
“I love everything about Clemson program,” he said. “They really get you ready for the real world, not just football. And they probably have one of the best facilities in the country!”
Along with Clemson, Martinez is looking to visit Alabama after the recruiting dead period is lifted.
Martinez does not have an offer from the Tide to date but has collected power conference offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Maryland and Indiana.
Right now, Martinez feels Clemson and FSU are recruiting him the hardest.
How do the Tigers stack up against the other schools pursuing Martinez after entering the race with an offer?
“Clemson stands pretty high with me in my recruiting,” he said.
As a sophomore last season, Martinez was credited with 56 total tackles and four interceptions.
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