Interview with Boston College Commit Top New York TE Ray Marten
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
When the average college football fan looks at their favorite team’s recruiting list three things are immediately sought out, recruiting ranking or number of stars, size, and stats. When Boston College fans pour over the fact sheet on Brooklyn’s Ray Marten, all they need to know is position and size. Marten is the type of player where stats do not apply.
The 6’4”, 245 pound, beast at tight end helped lead Poly Prep to a 9-1 record in 2014 using his abilities in a selfless way, as a lead blocking H-back and at times as a hand on the ground tight end acting as an additional offensive tackle. Just because Marten routinely opens holes for his running backs and puts linebackers on their backside does not mean he does not have the ability to be a weapon in a given passing attack, that’s just not the style of offense head coach Dino Mangiero executes.
Many New York high school recruits get overlooked but know that Marten can play. The Class of 2016 talent has 10 scholarship offers with teams like Miami, Rutgers, UConn, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Pitt and Syracuse all after him. The team that offered him first set the tone with Boston College landing a verbal commitment from the big man on June 25.
In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview I sat down with Ray to go over his offseason preparations, got his insight on how Poly Prep is looking heading into the 2015 season, and found out a little detail on his commitment to BC.
Interview
How does Poly Prep look heading into the 2015 season?
“We are looking really good. We lost a couple of really good guys this year, our starting quarterback, he went to Rutgers, and our starting running back – going to Bryant University in Rhode Island, but we have our whole offensive line coming back, our fullback, and basically our whole defense. We’re losing two big pieces but we have so many supporting guys and guys that have been in this program now for four years. I really believe that we control our own destiny. If we play as a team we will be pretty tough to beat.”
You guys were 9-1 last year –
“Our only loss was to Worcester Academy (23-16). It was a game we really should have won. If I were to go back before last season to make a guess they would be one of the teams that I thought we would beat. One of our better guys went down and we just did not respond too well to it and they won in overtime. It was a tough loss. After that our heads were screwed on tight and we were unstoppable. We played so well that last few games after that.”
How is your team set up within the state classification? How did you guys go 9-1 but not make the playoffs?
“Our team is not in a league, we used to be actually but before I got to Poly. I don’t know what happened, but our school recruits so the league that they were in did not like that. Poly was winning the championship every year so I think that’s what led them to being moved out of the league. I can’t really tell you why. We don’t play in a league we just play random teams. We have four or five teams we play every year but there are no playoffs or any championship. We just play to get better and better before college.”
What did you do in the offseason to prepare for your senior year?
“Our offensive coordinator works at our school and he’s really-really dedicated to our players. He has put together an offseason regiment for us. Basically in the winter I was lifting Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays – full body. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we were doing agility and sprints. In the spring we went outside and started working on offense and defense just trying to get better and better everyday. In the summer time we were going five days a week lifting and running everyday. We workout as a team everyday and we were doing all of our sprints, lifts, and practices together. Our coach really puts a lot of time into it and he did a really good job with it. I think we’re all in really good shape for the season.”
What were some of the aspects of your game that you worked on improving in the offseason?
“Definitely my blocking. When I was younger I could use my size to knock people over. Now that people are starting to get to the same size as me I had to start developing better technique. I was fortunate enough to be a big kid growing up so I could use my size but going into college I’ll be blocking more, a lot bigger and stronger guys. Blocking was the thing I really worked on the most.
“I also worked on my route running a lot. Hopefully I’ll get the ball some this year and in college. I worked on my routes and catching the ball. I tried to get better in every aspect of my game.”
What are your strengths on the field at tight end?
“My strengths on the field as a tight end, I’m able to block well and get into the flats well. Blocking is definitely one of my better things. I play more of an H-back, I don’t really play that much of a tight end in our offense. There is a lot more motioning and coming out of the backfield for my blocks and I go into the flats. I do a lot of iso (isolation). Even though blocking is one of my biggest things in the offseason I wanted to work on it to get better at it.”
What are your goals for the 2015 football season?
“My goals are to go undefeated. We don’t have a championship or playoffs so our goal is to go undefeated. My personal goals are to help the team to win. I’m also a starting defensive end so I want to do my best at that. Help stop run, just do the best I can.”
That was my next question, will we see you at other positions other than H-back?
“Yes, I play defensive end. I’m the starting weak-side defensive end for my team. I do a little standup sometimes coming off the ball but most of the time I’m a hand in the dirt weak-side defensive end. Last year I was the starting strong-side defensive end. I’ve been the starting defensive end for my school now since I was mid-way through freshman year or beginning of my sophomore year.”
Since you’ve committed to Boston College are other programs still showing interest in you?
“Yeah, early on after I committed a couple schools contacted me asking why and why so early. I’m very set on Boston College. I don’t think any other school in the country could change my mind at this point. I’m very satisfied. For the most part most schools have backed off of me a couple still get in touch with me here and there. I don’t know if they’re going through my coach but I’m pretty set on Boston College. Whatever happens at this point it would have to be a really good bargain for me to get my eyes on another school.”
What was the thing that set you over the top letting you know that Boston College was the school for you?
“There are a bunch of things actually. Boston College was the first school to offer me. Right then and there that had an effect. I was a sophomore in high school. It was my first offer and it felt very genuine. That alone was one of the big things.
“On top of that, their academics are second to none. You’re going to get an Ivy League education there. I love where Coach (Steve) Addazio is taking this program. They went down to the wire with some of the best teams in the country last year. I really like that they play hardnosed football. They remind me a lot of my high school team right now, I like that. The coaches seem to have a real strong effect on their players. It just seemed like the right fit. BC was always the school from the start. There were a couple of other schools that I was considering but BC was always the school from the start.”
Do you have a cumulative GPA you don’t mind sharing?
“I don’t know it off the bat but I’m mostly a B-student. I’d say my GPA is anywhere from a 2.7 to 2.9. I go to a very rigorous school though so a lot of colleges take that into account. They say a B in my school is like an A at other schools. I have to work hard for what I get.”
What about an ACT or SAT score?
“I took the SAT and I got a 1,500 on the two-part.”
What do you want to major in when you go to college?
“I want to do, I don’t know exactly what I want to do, but I want to go into the business world. Maybe business, business and finance, or business and economics, but definitely something in their business school.”
What NFL player do you model your game after?
“I watch two players I love watching are Heath Miller of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jason Witten on the Dallas Cowboys. We play almost the same type of position. They do a lot of motioning and a lot of blocking out of the backfield. They go out for passes out of the backfield too. I try to study their game and I love the way they play. Whenever they’re on the TV I’m watching them.
“There are a couple of others I really like watching Jay Prosch of the Houston Texans. He’s from Auburn. They play a similar offense. He’s a hardnosed football player. I always try to pay attention to the tight ends and fullbacks. Those are three players I truly enjoy watching and I try to do what they do. I think my game is similar to theirs and I try to replicate what they do.”
What is your favorite part of playing football?
“The parallels it has to life. All the hard work that you have to put in and the team work aspect. There are so many parallels to football and the real world. I think that is the most important part about football, it teaches you so about being a man, being respectful, and disciplined. I think that’s the most important part about football. Obviously winning a football game is a great feeling, being in that tight spot in the fourth quarter but the parallels to real life situations I believe is the most important. I feel that I’ll be the most prepared.”
Photo credit: Ray Marten; Ray at Boston College.
Photo credit: scout.com; Ray with Poly Prep.