Former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez is the top player in the transfer portal window this time around. He has a lot of suitors, and things should be wrapping up fairly soon for the running back. He recently was on a visit to Mississippi State, and after that, he announced he was canceling his visit to Kentucky, per his X page.
‘I will not be at Kentucky 23/24…journey continues'
So, it appears to be a three-team race for Martinez with Arizona, Mississippi State, and Miami all fighting for his services. Martinez opened up on the decision to cut the final list to these three programs, per Andrew Nemec of SBLive Sports.
“I feel strongly about these three choices. With everything I’ve heard and seen I believe in these coaches and the plan they all have for me. But at the end of the day I have to choose what’s best for my career. I have to choose what’s going to take me to that next level and show that I am the best running back, hands-down, in next (year's NFL draft) class.”
Martinez is originally from the state of Texas and just finished his sophomore season with Oregon State. He rushed for 1,185 yards with nine touchdowns, including four scores and 146 yards against Stanford in November. But, with Jonathan Smith becoming the new head coach at Michigan State, and the Beavers' future looking uncertain in a now two-team Pac-12, Martinez is searching for a new opportunity.
Damien Martinez has Miami visit lined up
Martinez now is set to visit the Miami Hurricanes, the team that has been the favorite from the beginning. And, Martinz made sure to discuss what has impressed him about Miami thus far, and it's the persistence of head coach Mario Cristobal, per Nemec.
“Man, Mario has been persistent. The whole staff has been making me and my family feel like family even before the visit. As everyone has seen they came down two times before I went there.”
The Hurricanes have been busy this offseason and were able to land former Washington State star QB Cameron Ward after he decided to bypass the NFL Draft. Finding a way to bring in Martinez would be quite the boost and could have the Hurricanes discussed as a potential sleeper in the ACC next season.
But, Martinez spoke highly of the visit to Mississippi State and the style of offense they run.
“The Mississippi State visit was great. They definitely showed me a new style of offense that I was expecting to see. Coach (Jeff) Lebby definitely knows how to score and it showed in the spring game, which impressed me a lot. Their system is proven at a high level at his previous schools, so I definitely believe in his system, of course.”
It will be interesting to see where Martinez ends up. For what it's worth, Pete Nakos of On3 dropped a prediction for Martinez to go to Miami. After a series of visits and some narrowing of the choices, Damien Martinez is set to visit Miami over the weekend and should be making a decision soon.
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