Inside the Commitment: Oregon State RB Damien Martinez shares thoughts off Miami visit and his Saturday night pledge … “It was everything”

Oregon State star Damien Martinez committed to Miami Saturday night in the middle of his Miami official visit. The hope from a UM perspective is that Martinez, who took prior trips to Arizona and Mississippi State, will lead the ground game with Henry Parrish gone and Mark Fletcher questionable for the start of the season off a serious foot injury. The rest of Miami’s depth is young and unproven.

Today, coming off his Miami visit weekend, the star back shared his thinking in making the decision.

“It was everything I saw, everything I wanted,” Martinez told CaneSport. “Just the coaches, the relationships, offensive scheme, the players. Everything I needed, wanted.

“Even without taking the visit they had the most boxes checked with what I wanted, what I needed. Coming and seeing it for myself definitely hit it.”

Martinez’s resume is filled with honors. He was a First Team All-Pac-12 honors his first two seasons at Oregon State, and the 6-0, 230-pounder has the combination of size and speed that Mario Cristobal covets. Martinez is a former 3-star industry prospect out of Lewisville (Tex.) in the Class of 2022, and he exploded onto the scene as an Oregon State freshman. He earned Freshman All-American honors after running for 982 yards and seven TDs while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. That included six straight 100-yard games, tying an Oregon State record (with a season-best 178 yards on 22 carries with three TDs vs. Colorado).

This past season he was a Doak Walker Award Semifinalist after he ran for 1,185 yards and averaged 6.1 yards along with nine TDs. He added 11 receptions for 126 yard and had six games with over 100 rush yards, including 145 at San Jose State and 145 on just 15 carries with a program record four TDs against Stanford.

He says during the visit Miami coaches stressed “how I’d be used in the offense.”

The offense, of course, has a major piece in Washington State star QB Cam Ward as well as a couple of top receivers returning (Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George), three starting O linemen back and a solid tight ends room.

“Being in the same backfield with Ward, teams are going to have to pick their poison,” Martinez said. “This offense is explosive. With me added to it, Mark Fletcher and the other guys in the backfield it’s going to be crazy.

“(My decision) was about different things I can showcase for the next level. Oregon State was more pro-style, this way I get used more in different ways instead of just handing the ball off. I can show to the next level that I can be a No. 1 running back.”

A sign of Martinez’s relentless running style? He averaged 3.48 yards after contact as a freshman and 3.82 last year, per Pro Football Focus . For comparison, Fletcher averaged 3.81 YCO/A last year and Parrish 3.41.

Martinez graded out at a stellar 83.1 percent overall last year (elite 88.1 run grade) and 85.9 percent overall in 2022 (90.2 run grade). If he had a weak area it was helping as a pass protector/blocker (65.1 block grade in 2022 and 54.1 percent last year).

Martinez’s skill on the field is unquestioned.

And now he’s bringing that to Miami. Martinez also stressed that UM coaches were the only ones to pay him an in-home visit … and not just once, but twice … saying that “they are real, real genuine.”

He says yesterday was when he knew the decision for sure.

“This visit was all about the relationship with players and coaches, that was my big thing,” Martinez said. “That helped. And Miami really showed me their offense, how I can add to it, the explosiveness with Cam Ward, the receivers on the edge, the line looks good. It was about what I can do for this team, and what this team can do for me to get to the next level.”

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