What happened to Oliver Martin?
Is there anyone on the Board that follows Iowa closely? Just wonder what the hell happened to Oliver Martin. He was used sparingly in the beginning of the season and he is not even getting snaps anymore. Iowa has like 10 guys catch passes yesterday and Oliver is not getting a sniff.
There was some chatter on him a month ago but now radio silence. This is a team that has been struggling on offense all season and lost its #1 receiver. Pre-season he was expected to be a big factor for them if he got his waiver.
How do you end up transferring away from a team where you are expected to be an important rotation piece to a team where you are a ghost at the end of the bench?
He seems like a nice kid, I hope it works out in the end in his last 2 years.
I see that Devin Asiasi, after initially setting his career back, is now flourishing with UCLA and seems headed for the NFL draft. Glad to see that too - another good kid I want to see make it to the League.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:14 PM ^
Playing time and a crowded WR room was why he transferred from here... he got passed up on the depth chart here and apparently passed up in Iowa too. Recruiting misses happen all the time, nothing different here.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:17 PM ^
I think that's a little premature. It was probably never realistic to expect that he would just jump into a new offense and be a major piece from the start. I wouldn't be surprised if he looks much better next fall.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:28 PM ^
Good call. Transitions can be tough. But going home should have theoretically made it easier
November 25th, 2019 at 12:27 AM ^
That wouldn't make him learn the playbook easier or be more *NSYNC with the QB.
November 24th, 2019 at 3:11 PM ^
He had four catches in his first two games, only one in the next nine. I don't think anyone predicted that.
As a recruit he was ranked over 200 spots ahead of anyone on their offense. Maybe he looks a lot better next year, but playing in a new offense isn't that hard.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:16 PM ^
He just isn’t as good as we all thought. Interesting comparison, the reaction of the board to his commitment v Ronnie Bell’s
Maybe Ollie should have kept swimming
November 24th, 2019 at 2:16 PM ^
OM was one of this site's hottest prospects. But, apparently he doesn't quite have it. Predictions are hard.
November 24th, 2019 at 3:03 PM ^
Freddie Canteen: never forget
November 24th, 2019 at 5:42 PM ^
But remember the way his feet moved thru that ladder?
November 24th, 2019 at 2:17 PM ^
Word is he is a prima donna who doesn’t like to block and lacks great work ethic. The talent is there but his attitude has alienated the coaching staff.
He is well behind the three starters and if nobody leaves for the NFL early he could likely be a grad transfer candidate.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:36 PM ^
That is the word coming out of Iowa? I can believe it because it would explain why he is not even getting backup / situational snaps.
Very interesting given that he is from Iowa City you would expect that the staff would have already had a good idea of his personality.
Maybe he is trying to break the gym rat, fundamentally sound, lunch pale stereotype.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:38 PM ^
That’s the word. Which interesting in that we didn’t seem to hear that regarding his time at Michigan.
November 24th, 2019 at 4:00 PM ^
From what I’ve read he’s not even Top 5 on depth chart. Which is really weird they needed a score vs Michigan and put him in for the fade, most of his Michigan highlights from practice were on the fade. Must be the only route he can run ??♂️
November 24th, 2019 at 4:39 PM ^
He was fighting to be in the top 4 but settled in at 5 after the 1st four weeks or so. Speculation would be that he didn’t agree with getting slotted at 5 and it had an effect.
Now I think Max Cooper is 5 and he is 6 which at Iowa rarely sees the field. He is better than Cooper and really more complete than Tracy Jr.
I just wouldn’t see him playing ahead of Ronnie, CJ, Giles, or Sainristil. Add in Black and DPJ next year and he is getting nominal snaps if he stayed.
November 24th, 2019 at 3:03 PM ^
I find it interesting that at 20 years old(give or take) smoothie shop that a young person can be a prima donna, but that he has trouble learning not to be one, and to acquire a strong work ethic after disappointments at Michigan and it sounds like now, Iowa.
November 24th, 2019 at 4:27 PM ^
I'm not surprised. Remember, he's a rich white kid with good genetics from an upper middle class area. He knows he will be alright even if he flunks out of college and some short girl who is going to medical school throws herself at him because she doesn't want to have short kids. Worst case scenario, his dad gets him a job and he earns $200k per year doing sales.
November 24th, 2019 at 3:08 PM ^
Weird if true . . . for some reason I always saw him as a scrappy, gritty player who looked like a coach's son on the field.
November 24th, 2019 at 3:13 PM ^
I could have sworn I saw him bring his lunch bucket to practice. He must be eatin' fancy in Iowa City.
November 24th, 2019 at 4:07 PM ^
To where? A MAC school?
November 24th, 2019 at 4:23 PM ^
pre-madonna*
November 25th, 2019 at 12:40 AM ^
Not sure if serious ?
November 24th, 2019 at 2:17 PM ^
I doubt he would’ve gotten significant time here. He clearly would’ve been behind the top 4, and guys like Sainristil, Jackson & Johnson were probably not too far from passing him too.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:35 PM ^
It the assertion above is true, a Prima Donna attitude and poor work ethic wasn't going to work here, either.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:18 PM ^
The same thing that happened to him at Michigan. He is starting over learning a new offense, and there are other WRs higher on the depth chart than him. I wouldn't rule out him making an impact in the future. Like you mentioned, it took some time for Devin Asiasi to make an impact, and his situation was probably complicated by the coaching change and shift to Chip Kelly's offense.
November 24th, 2019 at 4:06 PM ^
Not sure I get this take. He was getting snaps in the beginning of the year and now he's getting none. That's backwards if it's just a matter of a new offense. What is he unlearning the offense?
November 25th, 2019 at 7:38 PM ^
Agreed. Plus, he's a WR. It's not like he's a QB going to a completely different system. Whether it's work ethic or talent or whatever, he's probably just not that good. Busts happen. Doesn't seem comparable to Asiasi since that was a personal issue, not a playing time issue.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:21 PM ^
OP, I appreciate the intent of your post and the true interest in the success and well-being of these young men.
We need moar if this.
It’s nice to see St. Juste as a key player at Minnie though we could have used the depth.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:31 PM ^
Thank you and very true - glad to see BSJ taking a huge step forward this year.
Hopefully whatever injury forcing his medical retirement at Michigan doesn’t flare back up.
November 24th, 2019 at 6:08 PM ^
I found a really nice article on St. Juste at Minny.
November 24th, 2019 at 6:50 PM ^
That is interesting. I never heard about his difficulty with English. That makes his early graduation even more impressive. Hopefully my points work when I give them out.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:22 PM ^
Oh he transferred to Iowa.
November 24th, 2019 at 2:22 PM ^
One of my good friends, an Iowa grad, can't say enough BAD things about the Iowa offense -- or, more accurately, the almost complete lack thereof.
November 24th, 2019 at 6:51 PM ^
What does he say about Martin?
November 24th, 2019 at 2:33 PM ^
Not getting the waiver might have been a better outcome for him
November 24th, 2019 at 2:41 PM ^
Staying at Michigan and waiting his turn would’ve been better. He could’ve been in the thick of the WR rotation next year.
November 24th, 2019 at 5:45 PM ^
As mentioned above: not sure that that turn would've ever come. Assuming DPJ and Black are back next year, and that Jackson and Sainristil would be ahead of him in the slot, and factoring in the emergence of Ronnie Bell and flashes from Johnson, and it's hard to see where he'd be getting snaps.
November 24th, 2019 at 4:58 PM ^
He already redshirted, so he would have lost a year of eligibility.
November 24th, 2019 at 7:02 PM ^
This season basically already is a lost year. He’s played in 3 games
November 24th, 2019 at 2:38 PM ^
He got passed up by some guy named Ronnie bell
November 24th, 2019 at 3:05 PM ^
And Sainristril, Giles Jackson, and Johnson are all getting time Martin didn't get when here. In all likelihood he was getting passed by those 3 as well.
November 24th, 2019 at 3:01 PM ^
Maybe he should hyphenate his last name. I'm sure Oliver Mar-Tin would be an all B1G performer.
November 24th, 2019 at 4:28 PM ^
You sir win the internet for the day.
November 24th, 2019 at 3:02 PM ^
I mean if he was on this team right now he would be behind black bell dpj and Collins. Do we really need a 5th receiver? Not really. His decision to transfer was due to playing time however I’m not sure about why he isn’t getting that at Iowa
November 24th, 2019 at 3:05 PM ^
Kirk Ferentz would need to stop using 4 TE sets first....
November 24th, 2019 at 3:21 PM ^
November 24th, 2019 at 3:37 PM ^
Learning a new offense for the third time in under a year.
November 24th, 2019 at 5:26 PM ^
He's probably just not good enough to contribute at a major Big 10 program.