"I'll be looking at how the campus is and how they treat their players," said Taylor Martin. "I definitely talk to them the most and they are my leader. If I like it there a lot, there is definitely a chance I will commit during my visit."The 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end will arrive in Ames on Wednesday with fellow Antelope Valley teammate Troy Butler who is a safety that Iowa State is recruiting but unlike Martin, he doesn't have a scholarship offer yet.
After attending the South Dakota State game on Thursday night he will fly back early Friday to California where he caught up with his former teammate (Iowa State offensive tackle) Hayworth Hicks recently. "He came back to visit before they started camp and he told me about how I'd have a good chance to possibly play next year at Iowa State," said Martin. "He said he's real happy there and that he knows he made the right decision."
Iowa State started recruiting Martin, who is originally from Atlanta, Georgia during this past summer. "(Iowa State assistant) Coach Beatty talked to my coach and said that he looked at my highlight tape," he said. "He told him that he liked that I was getting to the quarterback and so he was happy with that."
Iowa State assistant coach Robert McFarland then went to Antelope Valley this summer to see Martin in person. "He came and talked to me and Troy (Butler) and told us that they were interested in us," he said. "Then about a week later I got a scholarship offer in the mail from them."
Since then Taylor has also got to talk with Iowa State Head Coach Gene Chizik. "Yeah, I got to talk with him and he said he would be happy to have me there at Iowa State," said Martin. "We talked about pass rushing moves and I told him I like the swim move the most."
Martin says that he mostly stays in touch with Coach Beatty or Coach Pelton. "I talk with them about once a week," he said. "Coach Pelton told me that if I came in and did what I'm supposed to that I'd have a good chance of starting for them next year."