Local standout to join football program

Southern Miss is always on the lookout for quality WR prospects. With an offense that require a rotation of as many as eight pass catchers that rotate in and out four at a time, you have to get creative when building that receiving corp. With only 85 scholarships allowed by the NCAA, walk-ons and especially preferred walk-ons play a major roll building the depth needed.

This year local stand-out Cade Martin from Presbyterian Christian (Hattiesburg, Miss.) has accepted a preferred walk-on offer from the Eagles and will be joining the squad this summer.

The talented 6-foot-2, 190-pound pass catcher had a solid senior season for the Bobcats. He pulled in 43 receptions for 691 yards and 12 touchdowns in an offense that was breaking in a first year quarterback.

Early in the recruiting process he garnered strong interest from Mississippi College and Milsaps. As the season progressed he started getting a few looks from FBS programs - Arkansas State, UAB and South Alabama.

"None of those schools really stuck out to me," he said of his early suitors. "We have a couple of guys that played here at MC, and I went on a visit and it was nice, but I really wanted to try to play division I,"

South Alabama invited Martin to take in a game in Mobile and the trip went well.

"My parents are good friends with one of the coaches," he said. "We went for an unofficial visit and I liked it."

After football season was over he began to hear from the home town Golden Eagles.

"Coach Fedora called my high school coach, Coach Hawkins and talked to him and asked him to get me to call him," Martin said. "I called and talked to him, he told me that they were looking at me. We set up a meeting and I went over and met with him and Coach (Walt) Bell and Coach (Blake) Anderson."

The result of the meeting was a preferred walk-on offer.

"It was more than I expected," he said. "I knew about all the players that had started off as walk-ons at USM who had earned scholarships. They don't play any favorites between walk-ons and scholarship guys. I like that, if you produce you can earn a scholarship."

Martin is an excellent student and has well above NCAA Freshmen Requirements, he plans to major in Sports Medicine. He will enroll for the first summer semester and take part in summer work-outs with the Eagles and will be part of the 105 roster that will take part in summer practices in August.

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