Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2021 43 PREP PROFILES Apopka (Fla.) High class of 2022 cornerback Nikai Martinez an- nounced a top-12 list in November, but for the most part his recruitment has been quiet on a national scale. It shouldn't be, though. There are powerhouse programs in pursuit of Martinez, including presumed leaders Clemson, Florida and Notre Dame. Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens offered him last Sep- tember, and the two parties have kept in regular contact. "Sometimes we don't even talk about football — just life," Martinez said of his connection with Mickens. "We have a good relationship and talk every week." Irish defensive coordinator Mar- cus Freeman has also quickly built a strong connection with Martinez. "He's a cool dude. He keeps it real," Martinez said of Freeman. "I hope we can build an even better relationship." The two Notre Dame coaches pitched how the Fighting Irish can help Martinez in the long run. "They were telling me to think big- ger than just football — pick a school for four years that will help you for 40 years," he recalled. "Notre Dame balances their academics and foot- ball. That was their message to me; football can't be there forever." Most prospects that Notre Dame is targeting haven't been to campus because of the dead period that has been in place for 11 months. Martinez was fortunate enough to visit South Bend in November 2019.Of course, he would like to get back to South Bend to meet Freeman and Mickens, and see more of campus, but he has a good grasp of the school already. "I like their tradition and how they're independent," he said. "It felt different there, but in a good way. See- ing snow the first time and the big crowd, it was a different type of vibe." Martinez is taking a patient ap- proach to his recruiting process. "I'll probably have a top five in the next couple months," he noted. "I want to commit by the summer, but depending on the dead period it could be earlier or later." During his junior season, Martinez posted 47 tackles, two sacks, four in- terceptions, three passes broken up, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick to lead his team to an 8-4 record. — Mike Singer On Feb. 3, Notre Dame tight ends coach John McNulty dished out his first two scholarship offers in the 2023 class. Robbinsdale (Minn.) Cooper Senior's Jaxon Howard and St. Louis De Smet Jesuit's Mac Markway were the recipients of the good news. The offer was special for Markway. "It was awesome," he said. "I've been wanting this offer for I don't even know how long. I love the way they use multiple tight ends. There's a great tradition there. They've been good forever; I don't remember them being bad or even average." Markway wanted the Notre Dame offer so much that he took matters into his own hands. "I asked [De Smet] Coach [Robert] Steeples if Notre Dame was interested in me, and he said, 'Yes, they're very interested.' He reached out to them to tell them how I felt about Notre Dame, and the next week, I talked to Coach McNulty," Markway recalled. "Talking to Coach McNulty was really cool. I loved it; he was awesome." "I shot Coach [Brian] Kelly a text to let him know my thoughts on Mac and his interest in Notre Dame," Steeples added. "Coach Kelly got back to me and said, 'We're definitely on it.'" Markway is plenty familiar with Notre Dame with his connections to the program. During his freshman season at De Smet Jesuit, he was the team's starting tight end and played with current Fighting Irish wide re- ceiver Jordan Johnson. "My dad coached Kyren Williams in high school, and I love the way they use their tight ends," Markway noted. "I've always watched Notre Dame, and I pay attention to their tight ends. [Michael] Mayer and [Tommy] Tremble are beasts out there. Their academics are top notch, too; that's really important to me." Markway holds more than 20 of- fers, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ore- gon, Stanford and USC. His recruit- ment started with an offer from the Wolverines in April 2019 while he was still in eighth grade and isn't slowing down any time soon. Markway's father, Matt, was a tight end for Iowa in the 1990s, and his cousin Matt Kyle currently plays tight end for the Cleveland Browns. — Mike Singer The Fighting Irish Are In Strong Position For Florida Cornerback Rising Junior Tight End Has Strong Notre Dame Connections NIKAI MARTINEZ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Apopka H.S. Apopka, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2022 Position: Cornerback Ht.: 5-10 • Wt.: 180 Rivals Rankings: No. 24 prospect in Florida, and No. 21 cornerback and No. 202 overall player nationally MAC MARKWAY De Smet Jesuit H.S. St. Louis Status: Offered Class: 2023 Position: Tight End Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 250 Rivals Rankings: 2023 ratings have yet to be released "They were telling me to think bigger than just football — pick a school for four years that will help you for 40 years. Notre Dame bal- ances their academics and football. That was their message to me; football can't be there forever." Martinez on Notre Dame "I've been wanting this offer for I don't even know how long. I love the way they use multiple tight ends. There's a great tradition there. They've been good forever; I don't remember them being bad or even average." Markway on Notre Dame