Is QB Adrian Martinez Really Sold On Tennessee?

So far, so good for Butch Jones and the Vols as they head into the 2018 recruiting season. With major talent at every roster spot, the university and fans can all agree that no matter what happens this year, 2018 is looking very good.

Or is it?

Just recently, quarterback Adrian Martinez, one of the Vols top recruits of the 2018 class, seems to be sending out smoke signals to the University of Southern California about his availability.

The Rivals affiliate of the Trojans reached out to Martinez in order to gauge his interest in the program after USC lost out on 5-star commit Matt Corral a few days ago.

“In the world of recruiting, you never know what can happen,” Martinez said. “I think it couldn’t hurt to visit and check things out and hear them out, if they had anything to offer to me. So you never really know how these things will go. I’ll play it day by day at this point.” - Adrian Martinez, via rivals.com

After the interview, Martinez reaffirmed his commitment to Tennessee via twitter, however he still plans on visiting USC’s campus sometime this summer.

It still doesn’t erase the fact that Martinez said he will play it “day by day”. This is a commitment, not a hamstring injury.

Of course, this is just an 18-year old kid deciding his future, so one would expect uncertainty and wonder. However, we all know how USC is USC, and they could pose a serious threat to keeping Martinez in his home state.

“I probably will if things continue to increase and I hear more from their coaches,” Martinez said of a potential visit to USC. “I’ll probably go check things out, get a feel for the place. It obviously couldn’t hurt. Like I kind of said earlier, I’ve been through it with Cal. You really don’t know what can happen. You just have to play the game along with the coaches, it’s just the way recruiting is now. I don’t think it could hurt for me to go take a visit.” - Adrian Martinez, via rivals.com

Martinez has already de-commited once, when he left Cal for Tennessee, so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if he de-commits yet again. The Vols still have Michael Penix, Jr. on tap if Martinez decides to opt out, so at least the cupboard wouldn’t be completely bare.

In all, December cannot get here fast enough for Martinez to sign with the Vols. Let’s hope he doesn’t prefer that California weather to Rocky Top by the time he makes his decision.