Former Tennessee Vols QB commit signs NFL free agent deal

Quarterback Adrian Martinez, a former Tennessee Vols commit who decommitted from UT after Jeremy Pruitt was hired to replace Butch Jones, signed a free agent deal with the New York Jets on Saturday.

Martinez, who played college football at Nebraska and Kansas State, spent part of his rookie season in 2023 with the Detroit Lions after going undrafted.

Martinez was committed to Tennessee from May to December in 2017. Pruitt initially hoped to sign Martinez after he was hired to replace Jones (just before the early signing period). In fact, Pruitt and his offensive coordinator Tyson Helton (now the head coach at Western Kentucky) flew out to California to visit Martinez to encourage him to sign with the Vols.

Martinez, however, decommitted from Tennessee a couple of days later and subsequently announced his commitment to Nebraska.

Oddly enough, Martinez decommitted from Tennessee on the same day that quarterback Michael Penix decommitted from the Vols. Penix, who was the No. 8 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, signed with Indiana before eventually finishing his career at Washington.

Related: Joe Milton explains why he never did a backflip after scoring at Tennessee and it was all because of a punter