Why Adrian Martinez chose Kansas State over a dozen other schools in transfer process
Adrian Martinez couldn’t stop his cell phone from buzzing when he announced plans to transfer from Nebraska last December.
Within minutes of sharing his farewell message on social media, he received calls from dozens of college coaches. They all wanted to express their interest in recruiting the 6-foot-2 and 220-pound senior quarterback who spent the past four seasons starting for the Cornhuskers. He received so much attention that it was difficult for him to make a list of preferred options.
But one coach found an effective way to cut through all the noise.
His name: Collin Klein. When the Kansas State offensive coordinator called Martinez and informed him he was willing to drive to Lincoln, Nebraska and discuss the Wildcats over dinner that night, well, Martinez had to take him seriously.
“It was real rapid,” Martinez recalled on his Athletes Unfiltered podcast earlier this week. “You could tell which guys were really interested in me and which guys weren’t. Coach Klein drove from Kansas City or somewhere near there in Missouri to have dinner with me in Lincoln that night. He met me for dinner that night to pitch me.”
Their conversation was laid back. Klein explained why he felt Martinez would be a good fit for K-State and invited him to campus for a recruiting visit whenever he was ready for one.
“One of the things I really liked about Kansas State is they put no pressure on me at all,” Martinez said. “They didn’t believe in that.”
Martinez said he went on to have lunch with a Big Ten offensive coordinator the following day and also dined with two other college coaches that week. But Klein clearly made an impression.
A few days later, Martinez made a list of 10 schools he wanted to consider, and K-State was on it along with California, UCF, a handful of Big Ten schools as well as some destinations in the Big 12 and SEC.
When coaches kept calling, Martinez chose to politely inform them he wasn’t interested.
“There were five Big Ten teams who reached out to me and wanted me to go to their school, wanted me to take a visit,” Martinez said. “I wrestled with the idea. But for me, I’d experienced the Big Ten. I had four straight years of living in the Big Ten ... I decided not to go that route.”
After some discussion with his family, he cut his list down to a pair of finalists — Cal and K-State.
He liked the Bears, because he is originally from Fresno, California and thinks highly of their academic programs. He liked the Wildcats because their football team was coming off an eight-win season and his girlfriend plays for their women’s soccer team.
After making recruiting visits to both schools, he chose K-State.
“The differentiator for me was that I felt like Kansas State could win,” Martinez said. “I felt like they could win more games. I felt like I meshed with their philosophy. It was the same with their coaches and their strength staff. I knew some of the players on their team. I felt like it would be a lot more of a seamless transition, and it has been. It’s been awesome.”
Forming a quick bond with Klein was also a key selling point.
“I’m really excited to see what we can do together,” Martinez said. “He is really flexible. I like that he’s a younger guy not too removed from playing and is incredibly loyal to Kansas State. He had some success himself. He was a Heisman finalist and won the Big 12. He knows what it looks like and thinks we can do the same thing next year.”
Martinez said watching K-State “kick LSU’s (butt)” 42-20 at the Texas Bowl helped validate his decision.
That was important, because coaches continued to recruit Martinez even after he publicly committed to the Wildcats.
Martinez said he received a call from an Ole Miss coach five minutes after he announced his plans to enroll at K-State.
“They said, ‘Hey, would you be interested,” Martinez said. “That’s not what I’m about. What’s crazy is you saw other guys actually go to another school and then flip just like that. I get it. People will forget about that, but it’s not something I could do or wanted to do.”
Martinez said he thinks he made the right decision and has enjoyed his first few months in Manhattan. In his eyes, the K-State football team has welcomed him with open arms as he takes over as the heir apparent to Skylar Thompson.
He figured that would be the case when Klein drove to Lincoln to eat with him the day he announced his transfer plans.
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Why Adrian Martinez chose Kansas State over a dozen other schools in transfer process."