Greer Martini couldn’t have much contact with Scott Booker when the Notre Dame assistant stopped by Woodberry Forest School (Woodberry, Va.) on Thursday to check on Martini and his fellow Irish linebacker commit Doug Randolph.
“It was good to have him come by,” said Randolph. “He’s been there a couple of times before. It was just great to have him there to come by.”
Booker stopped at the Virginia prep school for lunch and was able to have more contact with Randolph, a 2013 prospect, than Martini, a 2014 recruit.
“Since I’m still an underclassman, I can’t really talk to him,” said Martini.
Booker still managed to get his message across through his talk with Randolph (pictured).
“The message was to get ready for the season, how great their season has been and our progression as football players and what we need to do for the future,” said Martini.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior knows one area that he needs to focus on in the future.
“For me, I think having more of a killer mentality,” said Martini. “Going out on the field and presenting yourself, I guess the word for it is having more swagger. Just to go out on the field as one of the better players and know it and show it.”
Martini thinks that’ll come as part of his natural progression.
“I think that comes with being a senior and being one of the older guys out on the field,” he said. “This year I was just trying to play and do my job. I think I did that to the best of my abilities. Now, it’s just taking that to the next level and having an energetic feel to me that will rub off on other players around me.”
Even though he couldn’t extensive contact with Booker, Martini was excited to have an Irish coach come check on him.
“It’s just special being a recruit and being committed to the number one team in the country,” he said. “I could have never dreamed of anything more special. Just to know that a Notre Dame coach knows me on a personal level and that he came in to see me is pretty special I think.”
Martini has been impressed with the Irish’s march to the national championship game.
“It’s incredible,” he said. “I definitely knew Notre Dame football was a special program and they’re definitely a great team, but I don’t think anybody expected it to this degree. Just being a believer of the program after I committed, it’s special to see how well they’ve done and I’m going to be a part of it one day.”
Randolph agreed.
“I wouldn’t say surprised because I always expect my team to do pretty well, but I definitely didn’t expect them to go to the national championship this year,” he said.
Randolph will be presented with his Army All-American jersey this week and is excited about playing in the game.
“It’s a huge honor for me to be asked to play in that game and I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “I think it’ll be fun to compete. In a full contact setting, it should be so much fun.
“I’m really looking forward to hanging out with a lot of the commits and the other guys I’ve met throughout the recruiting process.”
Randolph will take his official visit to Notre Dame for the team’s banquet on Dec. 7th.
“I don’t really know much about it,” he said. “I think it’ll be pretty exciting to see all of the players and everything, especially after the way this season went.”
Martini won’t be at the banquet, but does have an eye on returning to South Bend in the coming months.
“I don’t know the specific dates, but I’m definitely going to try to get out for a junior day.”
