The NCAA and Big Ten on Wednesday made Iowa wide receiver Oliver Martin eligible for the 2019 season, effetive immediately.
The Iowa City West prep standout caught 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown as a freshman at Michigan last season, but left that school this summer and quickly transferred back to his hometown, where he was a four-star recruit.
Martin, who participated in summer workouts and fall camp and is listed as a top five receiver, has three more seasons of eligibility and will bring much-needed firepower to an offense that lost the dynamic pass-catching of first round NFL tight ends Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson from last season’s 9-4 team.
The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 19 in the AP preseason poll and picked by league media to finish second in the Big Ten West, narrowly behind Nebraska. Iowa opens its season at home against Miami (OH) on Saturday.
Here is more on Martin from Tom Kakert of Hawkeye Report:
Martin looked solid in Iowa’s annual Kids Day scrimmage on August 10th. He has already worked his way up getting second team reps at various receiver positions.
How will he fit into the mix for the Hawkeyes this season?
After the departures of Nick Easley, T.J. Hockenson, and Noah Fant, Iowa needed more options to step forward.
The Hawkeyes were trending very well with four wide receivers. Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette were rock solid as starters and embraced their status as leaders at the position.
Nico Ragaini was the story of the spring. A very late addition to the recruiting class last year, he joined the Hawkeyes in January of 2018. The full year with the Hawkeyes has paid off and Ragaini is in position to take over Easley’s role as a reliable slot receiver in 2019. Tyrone Tracy Jr. is right there with Ragaini. The redshirt freshman has shown the ability to be a consistent part of the passing game with very good route running and can make something happen after the catch.
Another name to continue to watch is Max Cooper. He would probably be in the mix for a reserve role, but Cooper is still working his way back into the swing of things after an ACL repair last season.
Which brings us to Martin.
He’s going to help. Martin has a year of experience in Big Ten and has played well when he has been given the opportunity. His teammates and position coach indicated at media day that he has come in and learned the playbook very quickly and his on the field work shows he should be a contributor.
The tight end position not being as deep this year and Iowa is likely to lean on their wide receiver group much more than they have in the past few seasons. With Martin now officially in the mix as a contributor, this might be the deepest and most talented group of wide receivers that Iowa has had in several years. Now that he has been cleared, expect Martin to have a strong impact for the Hawkeyes this season, including Saturday night when Iowa hosts Miami, OH.
