One of the first cornerbacks to earn an offer from Clemson when the Tigers began extending offers to rising juniors on June 1 was Nikai Martinez, a talented four-star prospect from Apopka (Fla.) High School.

Cornerbacks coach Mike Reed conveyed the offer to Martinez, and they have been staying in touch over the past couple of months while getting to know each other better and building their relationship.

“I think Coach Reed and I have a good relationship,” Martinez told The Clemson Insider recently. “I think he is a good coach and an even better person. He really cares about his family and treats his players like his own kids.”

Martinez (5-11, 170) has not been able to visit Clemson before, so it is one of the schools he is looking to check out once the NCAA lifts the ban on in-person recruiting that was implemented in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Right now, all on-campus recruiting remains suspended through at least the end of this month.

“After the dead period I want to visit Clemson, Florida State and a few more schools,” he said.

Along with Clemson, Martinez has collected offers from schools such as FSU, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Maryland.

Martinez has a timeline in mind for when he wants to make his commitment.

“I want to have a decision by the end of my junior year,” he said.

How do the Tigers stack up with the other suitors in Martinez’s recruitment at this point in the process?

“Clemson has a good chance so far, a visit there would be good though so I can be able to see it in person,” he said.

As a sophomore last season, Martinez was credited with 56 total tackles and four interceptions. He is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 212 overall prospect in the 2022 class regardless of position.

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