PROVO, Utah – BYU football dipped into Big 12 Country and pulled in a commitment from LJ Martin.

Martin formally announced his signature to play for BYU during a Signing Day ceremony at his high school. A 6-foot-1, 207-pound running back from El Paso, Texas, Martin comes to BYU after being a long-standing commit to the Stanford Cardinal.

𝑾𝑬𝑳𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑭𝑨𝑴𝑰𝑳𝒀, @aLJayMartin 🤙 pic.twitter.com/QxB6Ff4mJa

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) February 1, 2023

Martin’s recruitment opened up after David Shaw resigned as the head coach of Stanford in November. Immediately after, BYU extended an offer to Martin on December 1, and it’s been a fast-paced process ever since.

Picking up Martin gives BYU another running back that could provide an immediate impact this fall in the first year of the Big 12. The importance of BYU adding Martin is magnified by the fact that UNLV transfer Aidan Robbins had off-season wrist surgery.

Other running backs BYU has in 2023 include Hinckley Folau Ropati, Miles Davis, Mason Fakahua, and Nukuluve Helu.

Martin put up monster numbers during his prep career at Canutillo High School in El Paso. The four-star prospect (247Sports Composite) rushed for 5,949 yards and 60 touchdowns during his four seasons. In 2021, Martin ran for 2,737 yards in 13 games.

 

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During his final prep game in the Texas Class 5A Division II Playoffs, Martin rushed for over 200 yards before his Canutillo squad lost to Abilene Wylie High in the semifinals. Canutillo finished with a 10-3 record in 2022.

Before being committed to Stanford, Martin was once committed to the Texas Tech Red Raiders last spring. BYU will face the Red Raiders in Provo this fall for the first time on October 21.

Martin is the third highest-rated high school prospect in BYU’s 2023 recruiting class. He received offers from Stanford, Texas Tech, Air Force, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Colorado State, and others.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU moving to the Big 12 Conference on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

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