Grant Martinez says ASU is “the place for me”

Grant Martinez detests the University of Arizona.

“That Territorial Cup, I can’t even talk about it…it gets me,” Martinez said.

Now that that’s out of the way, he should fit in quite well at Arizona State come this fall.

The former Notre Dame Prep tight end told me that he was leaning toward getting out of Arizona for his schooling. However, a little trip to Tempe, Ariz., changed his whole thought process.

“As soon as I visited with Coach Graham, Coach [Mike] Norvell and Coach [Chip] Long, I knew this was the place for me,” Martinez said. “I knew right away, the whole atmosphere, the campus and obviously the way all the coaches coach, I realized that it’s gonna be the best opportunity for me to be successful in life.”

A very cool thing happened to Martinez on his official visit to Arizona State.

He told me, when he checked into his hotel room, there was a rose laying on his bed. The rose of course, symbolizes ASU’s quest to win a Rose Bowl.

“It sent shivers down [my] spine a little bit, [it] just got me excited,” Martinez said. “I want that Rose Bowl, BCS National Championship, Pac-12 Championship, I want it all.”

Before he gets all that, Martinez knows the road to those things won’t be paved with gold. He’s gonna have to earn each and every one of those things with a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

“With Coach Graham, it’s a family mentality,” Martinez said. “Going down there, I realize I’m gonna have to go to work, he’s gonna make me disciplined, responsible [and] give me good character. It’s gonna be a tough trip, but it’s definitely gonna be well worth it.”

Tight end Chris Coyle was tasked with partnering up with Martinez during his visit. What better person to hang with and learn from if you’re Martinez than Coyle.

“I got to pick his brain a little bit about the offense and the coaching staff,” Martinez said. “He gave me a good message that we’re gonna have fun together, we’re gonna get the ball and we’re gonna have to make some plays.”

Martinez thinks he’s ahead of the game when it comes to that part of the transition to the Sun Devil way of life.

“Definitely just take the same mindset, work hard every day and hope to get better,” Martinez said.

You’ve got to hand it to Martinez: the young man has goals for his freshman year, and he’s gonna get them by any means necessary.

“I set a goal in my mind for me, freshman All-American, so that means I’m gonna have to bust my tail [and] be better than anybody else in the country,” Martinez said. “I definitely have to get to work as soon as basketball ends, and I’m ready to get going.”