AOTW: Academic success important for Tipp junior Martin

Ed Note: This week’s Features Spotlight Athlete is Tipp junior Jeffrey Martin, who is aiming for not only a successful football season, but also a great future academic institution.

So often, the academic side of a student-athlete is overlooked in the public eye. But, when the Ivy League comes calling with interest, it shows how the hard work in the classroom, along with on the football field, is all paying off for Tippecanoe junior Jeffrey Martin.

Martin is by no means the only athlete to come through the football program who has shined in the academic world. But the returning Red Devil has been accumulating a lot of interest heading into his junior year.

“For the main part, I’ve heard from Ivy League schools and other high academics, with some soft interest from some bigger schools,” Martin said as the Red Devils closed out another week of summer camp. “I just recently visited Yale and have received letters from Harvard and UPenn. I have received emails and twitter messages from Cornell, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth and Princeton.”

“Currently, I don’t know where I’ll be playing the next four years, but I am thankful for all the coaches at Tipp who have helped my recruitment process. I also appreciate all the college coaches who have taken time out of their busy schedules to talk with me.”

With all the recruiting that has picked up, Martin has been keeping his attention on making sure everything stays focused on both the upcoming season and his potential future home.

“My recruiting has been picking up a lot as of late, and it’s hard to balance that, but with the right time management, great teammates, and coaches that help me stay grounded and on track, I think I’ve handled it pretty well,” he said.  “Currently my academics are in good standing and set me up well to continue my future dreams.”

With all that said, Martin just wants to keep winning on Friday nights. He feels this could be another special year ahead for Tipp football.

“The season is definitely approaching us very quickly, but I feel we are well prepared, we have a strong core of junior and senior leadership that is helped by a few underclassmen who have stepped up,” Martin said. “August is a big month for us as a team and I would say we’re more than ready.”

To prepare for August, Martin is using his time wisely as he looks forward to being a solid contributor and leader as a junior for Tipp.

“This summer has been very busy for me as a player and for us as a team,” he said. “Personally, I workout with the team as well as my personal trainer, Sam Faulkner. My typical day has been waking up in the morning and going to workouts or camp with the team, then taking an hour or two and heading to my second workout in the afternoon. It’s a busy schedule but I strongly believe that hard work pays off and I want to be in top shape to help out my team the most I can this year.”

Tipp has been no stranger to success, putting together a lot of success the last few years. Martin doesn’t want that to change, and even wants more.

“Goal number one has always and will always be to raise a state championship trophy at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium with a Red Devils jersey on, surrounded by my teammates and coaches,” he said. “This has been my dream since middle school and with our team and staff I believe we can do this very soon.”

“Now my personal dream would be to play football at the division one level and be able to use football to set me up for the rest of my life and mainly my career. I’ve always aspired to go to law school and become a criminal defense attorney.”

“I would just like to thank Coach Burgbacher, all the assistants currently on staff, and those who have retired for being an amazing staff to work with and some of my biggest supporters. I want to thank my family for supporting my dreams and doing whatever it takes to get me to where I want to go.”