2023 RB LJ Martin Flips Commitment From Stanford To BYU

Feb 1, 2023 - 4:24 PM

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BYU added a big name to the 2023 class as running back LJ Martin announced his commitment to BYU Wednesday morning. Martin is rated a 4-star prospect by ESPN and 3-star by 247 Sports and Rivals.

Martin had committed to Stanford last summer, but BYU swooped in two months ago after Head Coach David Shaw announced he was stepping down from Stanford. Martin had taken an official visit to BYU in December before early signing day and coaches visited LJ to seal the deal

The El Paso, Texas native was also committed to Texas Tech at one point, but backed off that to go to Stanford. Martin had offers from Stanford, Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, and several G5 schools.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds, Martin teams with Aidan Robbins as two running backs that can immediately come in and contribute. Robbins has two years of eligibility and will likely be the bell cow of BYU’s running back room after rushing for over 1000 yards at UNLV, but Martin will compete for the number two spot. Returnees Miles Davis and Hinckley Ropati also will be in the mix after showing flashes during their time at BYU.

Martin put up some bonkers numbers at Canutillo High School, rushing for nearly 6,000 yards in his high school varsity career. In 13 games as a junior, Marin rushed for 2,737 and 29 TDs. He played two fewer games this last season but still put up 1,937 rushing yards and 17 TDs.

Although Martin is 6-foot-1, his running style is based more on quickness and elusiveness rather than running people over. Martin has the ability to make people miss and is very dangerous once he gets in the open field. His style is different than Aidan Robbins, who is the type of back that will run people over.

You can watch highlights from Martin below.