2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, July 16, 2023 | 11:30 AM

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Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series of 25 profiles of the members of the Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team.

When it came time to make his college decision, Quinton Martin operated on his own terms.

No news conference. No three hats lined up on a table. No speech to tell everyone how excited he was.

“That’s not me,” the humble Belle Vernon senior five-star prospect said. “I wanted it to be quiet.”

In a surprise move based on its timing and manner, Martin chose Penn State on Good Friday, setting Ohio State and Pitt aside as his other top choices.

Martin, a running back and defensive back, had more than 20 Power Five offers from just about every Division I conference in the country.

“It was always Penn State,” Martin said. “I have loved Penn State since I was little.”

Now comes the next big question: Where will he play in State College? Martin’s role should not change much in his senior season for Belle Vernon, the defending WPIAL and PIAA 3A champion. He will line up in the backfield and power ahead but also kick out wide on occasion.

There aren’t many players more dangerous on screen passes. When teams invade his space, Martin just goes.

“You have 50 different plans for him,” Leopards coach Matt Humbert said. “You want the ball in your best player’s hands. I think with Q, he’s more situational than anything. He’s good in space, yes, but he is better in conflict.”

Belle Vernon has another Division I talent in Braden Laux, a quarterback and defensive end who will play tight end at Eastern Michigan.

Humbert hinted the Leopards could throw more with the strong-armed Laux. Of course, Martin is a viable option as a wildcat quarterback, as he showed in the playoffs last year. Remember his 201-yard, four-touchdown game against East Allegheny?

Senior running back Jake Gedekoh also returns, the team’s power to Martin’s finesse.

Martin said Penn State likes him as a running back.

“You can never tell with how I might progress,” Martin said. “As of now, it’s running back. The second spot would be wide receiver.”

Martin accounted for 2,054 all-purpose yards and 31 touchdowns as a junior. He ran for 1,279 yards and also grabbed four interceptions.

“He’s fluid,” Humbert said. “I can see him lining up everywhere. If he’s determined, he’ll play anywhere. If that’s tailback, then that is where he’ll play.

“He’s tall and lean, yes, but once Penn State gets him in the feeding room and pumps him full of protein and vitamins, look out.”

Admittedly glad the stressful recruiting process is over, Martin is eager to get back to leading Belle Vernon to a repeat.

Martin showed his versatility in last year’s WPIAL championship at Acrisure Stadium when he scored three ways: via rush, reception and punt return — the 51-yard return was something to see.

“The thing about our kids is how unselfish they are,” Humbert said. “Q is like that. It’s never about stats or touches.

“The kids want to win again. You acquire a taste for it. All the time you put in and things you deal with all year — it’s worth it.”

Quinton Martin

Belle Vernon

Senior

6-3/200

RB/DB

Committed to: Penn State

Division I offers: Pitt, West Virginia, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Miami, Florida State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Texas, Kentucky, Rutgers, Maryland, Wisconsin, Syracuse, South Carolina, Boston College, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Louisville, Rutgers.

2022 statistics: Rushed for 1,279 yards and 22 touchdowns, caught 28 passes for 424 yards and six TDs and had 22 tackles and four interceptions on defense.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon