ROCKINGHAM — In a 10-month span, Jacoby Martin went from being uncertain about playing his senior football season to earning a roster spot in college.
Tuesday evening Martin, a three-time All-Sandhills Athletic Conference selection for Richmond Senior High School, announced his verbal commitment to East Carolina University.
Sharing the news on X, Martin wrote, “First and foremost I want to thank God for blessing me and giving me the opportunity to do what I love to do the most! With that being said, after a great conversation with Coach Roy Tesh I will be committing to East Carolina University.”
A defensive end for the Raiders, Martin earned a preferred walk-on spot with the Pirates.
He’s the second Richmond football player to commit to ECU in the past few years, following fellow defensive lineman J.D. Lampley (class of 2022), who has started the past two seasons in Greenville.
Martin also had a preferred walk-on offer from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, along with “serious interest” from Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb and Western Carolina universities.
“I’ve been at ECU a bunch for different camps and visits, and they showed the most love,” Martin explained. “They were consistent in staying in contact with me and that really meant a lot.
“I was really familiar with how ECU runs things with its football program, which is very similar to how Richmond does it,” he added. “I was really drawn to the fact that they have a huge community fan base, which went hand-in-hand with my experience at Richmond.”
Last May while at the 910 Classic football camp, Martin ruptured his left Achilles. Putting his senior season and potential college career in jeopardy, he opted not to have surgery and returned during the Raiders’ sixth game of the season last fall.
Earlier this week, Martin was medically cleared by ECU’s staff and Tesh, the Pirates’ defensive tackles assistant coach, called to tell him the PWO still stood. That’s when Martin decided his next career move.
“This has always been my goal to go and play Division I,” Martin explained. “I’m thankful for the opportunity and it’s also a big relief to be recruited. The recruitment process was crazy.”
Rejoining the Raiders, who had a 1-4 record, on Sept. 22 in a home game against Pinecrest High School, Martin helped resurrect the season. With him lined up on the defensive front, the Raiders finished the regular season by winning four of their next five games to make the playoffs.
In six games as a senior, Martin recorded 19 total tackles (17 solo tackles) and had 9.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 sacks. He also had a safety early in a win against Union Pines High School.
Despite missing half of his senior season due to his foot injury, Martin continued to impress college coaches. On Jan. 27 he made an official visit to ECU.
“It was a great visit and I got a really in-depth tour of the football facilities and the campus,” Martin said. “I saw the weight room and talked to the coaching staff and trainers.
“The campus is so nice and I’m glad it all came together,” he continued. “I was really drawn to the fact that they take academics as seriously as athletics.”
Working closely with Tesh during his recruitment, Martin said he most liked Tesh’s “down-to-earth personality” and added he’s “looking forward to working with him.”
In 2023, ECU finished the season with a 2-10 record and a 1-7 mark against American Athletic Conference opponents. The season prior, the Pirates tallied an 8-5 overall record.
While thankful for the opportunity to join ECU’s football program, Martin understands the work is just getting started. Now that his recovery is behind him, he said he’s shifting his focus to make an impact from day one.
“The journey’s been tough, and it was more mentally challenging than physical,” Martin recalled. “I’m most proud of being able to battle back and to have gotten better on the field. I prayed a lot and then I started believing in myself and trusting myself more.
“I want to outwork everybody and do everything 100 percent,” he added. “I know I didn’t get a full offer because of my injury and teams only saw me half of my senior season. I want to keep progressing and show I belong. My goal is to earn a scholarship.”
Since the end of his high school career, Martin has represented Richmond in the annual North Carolina Coaches Association’s East-West All-Star Game. Played in December, Martin helped the East All-Stars to a 35-7 victory.
Ready to start his new adventure, Martin will have one familiar face in the locker room with Lampley, a rising junior.
“During all of this, having JD as a teammate again was always in the back of my head,” Martin said. “He’s been helpful in the process, and the day I committed he congratulated me and said he’s excited to play together again.
“I want to thank God first for this opportunity,” he closed. “And I want to thank my mom (Jennifer Martin) for all of her love and support, as well as all of my coaches he helped get me here.”
Martin will report to ECU on June 8, the day following his graduation from Richmond. He plans to major in athletic training.
