Bound for Tigertown: East Ascension’s Brysten Martinez commits to LSU

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

East Ascension’s mammoth offensive tackle Brysten Martinez is in the process of helping the Spartans to a memorable season on the basketball court.

East Ascension is the state’s No. 4 rated team (21-4) in the LHSAA’s latest Division I non-select power ratings that has already clinched a share of the District 5-5A title. But Martinez took a brief step back Thursday to add some clarity to his football future.

The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Martinez, a four-star prospect rated the nation’s No. 8 offensive tackle by On3, announced his commitment to LSU on his social media platform.

“I want to thank LSU for allowing me to continue my academic and athletic career in their hands and I wouldn’t want it to be anywhere else,” Martinez said on his Instagram account. “My dream has come true.”

Martinez, a first-team All-District 5-5A selection in 2024, built an impressive resume’ of 26 scholarship offers last summer. He became the sixth commitment in the Tigers’ Class of 2026 over such schools as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.

“Since the end of the season, he’s talked about getting it over with because of all of the attention,” EA football coach Brock Matherne said. “He wants to try to win a state championship in basketball. That just shows what kind of kid he is.”

Martinez becomes the sixth in-state prospect to choose LSU which is ranked as high as third nationally by On3. He’s the nation’s No. 59 overall prospect and fifth-best player in Louisiana per On3.

“He just wants to play ball in high school and not have to go through all of these things,” Matherne said. “Him not really wanting to speak about it, it’s a reflection of him having his attention and focus on trying to help his basketball team win a state championship. That’s the kind of guy he is.”

East Ascension is no stranger to producing high-level talent.

Defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was an All-American at LSU and played for San Francisco and Kansas City in the NFL for nine seasons. Tight ends Poncho Glover and Shawn Nelson both played for multiple teams in the NFL including Buffalo, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, and New Orleans Saints.

“The history of EA has produced some really good talent and really good signees and Brysten’s at the top of that list of players to come from here and go to a major university,” Matherne said. “I think he’s just getting started. I think he’s going to continue to develop and grow. I don’t think he’s gotten close to his full potential.”

Matherne said LSU co-offensive coordinator Joe Sloan and offensive line coach Brad Davis played key roles in the recruiting of Martinez. That began last season with inviting him for unofficial visits such as spring practice until his most recent visit to LSU’s Junior Day.

“Between coach Davis and coach Sloan, they did an excellent job of building a relationship with Brysten and made him feel comfortable,” he said. “You could see when they visited, or when he went there, how comfortable he was. When we got to go see spring practice you could see he felt at home.”

When Matherne took over EA’s program last January it didn’t take long for Martinez to become a topic of conversation. A look at the team’s roster and Martinez’s size jumped off the page and when Matherne began watching film, it became apparent that he had someone special at left tackle.

“You begin watching games of him and you knew he was a special talent,” Matherne said. “When you get to meet him, I think the best part about it is the kind of kid he is. He’s going to make you laugh. You can have fun with him. It’s fun to coach him. He’s a great kid that makes it a blast to come to work every day.”

Matherne said that 36 Division I coaches made it a point to come to watch Martinez during last year’s spring training. 

That was during a stretch when Martinez went from a relatively unknown – an unranked prospect – to as high as No. 4 nationally by ESPN which led to college coaches flocking to Gonzales to get a look at a player who not only had size, but athleticism that’s been apparent with his role on the basketball team.

“He’s so athletic he could play anywhere on the field,” Matherne said. “He has so much God-given talent whether he’s going out to catch a football (tight end), or with his footwork and on the basketball court, wherever they (LSU) invest in him is where he’s going to succeed at.

“He’s a phenomenal athlete in both football and basketball,” Matherne said. “Since I got here last January, there’s been a lot of schools that have wanted him. If you could name a school they’ve called to ask about Brysten Martinez.”