Recruits want Demetrice Martin to remain on Chip Kelly's UCLA staff

Chip Kelly needs a defensive backs coach for his new staff. UCLA recruits don't want him to look for one much further than the one already on his Westwood campus.

Demetrice Martin has been the Bruins' defensive backs coach for the past six seasons. He's coming off his finest year, captaining a secondary that gave up just 206 passing yards per game. His unit is by far the team's deepest.

But more importantly, Martin is UCLA's ace recruiter. And if Kelly decides he doesn't want him to remain on staff, the Bruins' 2017 class is going to take a hit.

"He stays, I stay," said four-star safety Cam Jones, UCLA's fourth highest-rated commit. "That simple my man."

Martin is currently responsible for three of UCLA's commits: Jones, four-star corner Olaijah Griffin and four-star safety Stephan Blaylock.

"He’s one of the first coaches to recruit me and has been real and straight up with me since the first time we talked," Blaylock said. "And I’ve been talking with him since last year so the bond is big and he’s a great coach from what Jaleel (Wadood) has told me and also from what Adarius (Pickett) told me."

Martin is also responsible for several of the big fish UCLA is still pursuing. Four-star safety Bryan Addison, five-star defensive back Tyreke Johnson and four-star corner Brendan Radley-Hines, who officially visited this weekend, have all been personally wooed to UCLA by the DBs coach.

"It would be very big for me (if Martin weren't retained)," Addison said. "Coach Meat is the guy who got me my UCLA offer and has been keeping in contact with me."

Added Johnson when asked earlier this week about the firing of Jim Mora: "As long as coach Martin is there that's not going to change anything for me."

Martin has been instrumental in building UCLA's roster over the years. Landing five-star Darnay Holmes last season was arguably his biggest haul. But he was also responsible for a bevy of the Bruins' best players, including Nate Meadors and Adarius Pickett.

According to a source, Kelly still has not informed Martin whether he intends to keep him on staff. The school hasn't announced any of the coach's new hires, either.

When they do, though, recruits are hoping Martin's name is on that list.