Nov 18, 2023; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers running back Damien Martinez (6) runs the ball during the second half against the Washington Huskies at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-Oregon State star RB Damien Martinez chooses Miami

Former Oregon State star running back Damien Martinez announced Saturday that he is transferring to Miami.

Martinez was one of the top running backs available in the transfer portal.

“It’s on! 305 it’s that time,” Martinez said on social media with a reference to Miami’s area code.

Martinez earned All-Pac-12 first-team honors by rushing for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns on 194 carries in 12 games last season for a 6.1 average per carry. He recorded six 100-yard games with a high of 146 against Stanford.

In two seasons with the Beavers, Martinez has 2,167 rushing yards and 16 TDs on 355 carries in 25 games.

Last season was Oregon State’s final one in the Pac-12. Coach Jonathan Smith departed for the same job at Michigan State.

–Field Level Media

Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Cormani McClain (1) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Transfer roundup: Colorado CB Cormani McClain enters portal

Colorado cornerback Cormani McClain, a former five-star high school recruit, entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

Tuesday was the first day of the spring transfer window. The portal will remain open for players to enter until April 30.

McClain appeared in nine games for the Buffaloes in 2023, Deion Sanders’ first season as Colorado’s coach. McClain started four games and finished the season with 13 tackles and two pass breakups.

He was the No. 1 cornerback in the Class of 2023, per the 247Sports composite rankings.

–Miami lost leading rusher Henry Parrish Jr. and backup quarterback Jacurri Brown to the portal.

Parrish gained 625 yards on the ground and scored six touchdowns for the Hurricanes in 2023. Across four seasons with Ole Miss (2020-21) and Miami (2022-23), Parrish amassed 2,057 rushing yards, 56 receptions for 384 yards and 17 total touchdowns (15 rushing).

Brown has seen action in nine games over the past two seasons at Miami. He was likely to rank behind Emory Williams and incoming transfers Cam Ward and Reese Poffenbarger on the QB depth chart.

–Oregon State running back Damien Martinez is officially in the portal, with On3 reporting that he will visit Miami, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arizona.

It was reported last week that Martinez intended to enter the portal. He was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team by rushing for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns on 194 carries in 12 games last season for an average of 6.1 yards per carry. He recorded six 100-yard games on the ground, with a high of 146 against Stanford.

In two seasons with the Beavers, Martinez had 2,167 rushing yards and 16 TDs on 355 carries in 25 games.

–True freshman offensive lineman Jason Zandamela is looking to transfer from Southern California, 247Sports reported.

Zandamela was the No. 4 interior offensive line prospect in the Class of 2024, per the 247Sports composite. He is a native of Mozambique who played rugby before moving to the United States.

–Kadyn Proctor is back in the portal with a “do not contact” label, multiple reports said, indicating the offensive lineman plans to return to Alabama.

Once a five-star offensive tackle prospect in the Class of 2023, Proctor — a native of Des Moines, Iowa — originally committed to Iowa before flipping to Alabama. After spending his freshman season with the Crimson Tide, he entered the portal following coach Nick Saban’s decision to retire.

Proctor committed to Iowa during the previous transfer window but announced on March 19 that he would not be staying with the Hawkeyes’ program and would re-enter the portal in the spring.

–Former four-star quarterback recruit Tad Hudson plans to transfer out of North Carolina, On3 reported.

Hudson did not see the field as a true freshman in Chapel Hill while backing up Drake Maye, a likely first-round pick in this month’s NFL draft.

–Field Level Media

Nov 11, 2023; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers running back Damien Martinez (6) runs with the ball for a touchdown during the first half against the Stanford Cardinal at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Oregon State star RB Damien Martinez to enter portal

Oregon State star running back Damien Martinez intends to enter the transfer portal next week, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

Martinez is with the program for spring drills but plans to place his name in the portal sometime after it opens on April 16, according to reports. The portal window closes April 30.

Martinez earned All-Pac-12 first-team honors by rushing for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns on 194 carries in 12 games last season for a 6.1 average per carry. He recorded six 100-yard games with a high of 146 against Stanford.

In two seasons with the Beavers, Martinez has 2,167 rushing yards and 16 TDs on 355 carries in 25 games.

Martinez didn’t play in Oregon State’s 40-8 loss to Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl. He was briefly suspended for suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) in November, but no charges were brought forward. He was reinstated prior to the bowl game but didn’t participate.

After the regular season, Jonathan Smith departed as Oregon State coach to take a similar position at Michigan State. Trent Bray is now the Beavers’ coach.

Oregon State went 8-5 last season, including 5-4 in its final campaign of Pac-12 play.

–Field Level Media

Nov 11, 2023; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers running back Deshaun Fenwick (1) jumps over Stanford Cardinal corner back Terian Williams (29) during the second half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon State demolishes Stanford, 62-17

Damian Martinez ran for four first half touchdowns and DJ Uiagaleiei threw for 240 yards as No. 12 Oregon State walloped Stanford 62-17 in a Pac-12 mismatch on Saturday in Corvallis, Ore.

Martinez, who rushed for 146 yards on just 15 carries, scored on runs of 7, 59, 15 and 5 yards as the Beavers improved to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the conference. Uiagaleiei completed 12 of 19 passes in an efficient performance, finding Jermaine Terry and Deshaun Fenwick for touchdown strikes of 40 and 13 yards, respectively.

Stanford (3-7, 2-6) upset Washington State last week and nearly upset Washington last month but was no match for Oregon State’s physicality on both sides of the ball. The Cardinal didn’t help itself by tossing four interceptions, leading to 21 points for the Beavers.

Quarterback Ashton Daniels completed 10 of 16 attempts for 200 yards and a 75-yard touchdown to Elic Ayomanor but also mixed in three interceptions. The Cardinal were outgained 598-324.

Martinez started the carnage with scoring runs of 7 and 59 yards in the first 10 minutes. Daniels answered for Stanford with a 7-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds remaining in the first quarter, cutting the deficit to 14-7.

That was as good as it got for the Cardinal. Oregon State rung up 20 second quarter points on a 15-yard run by Martinez, Uiagaleiei’s touchdown connection with Terry and Martinez’s fourth scoring jaunt with 15 seconds left in the half that gave it a 34-10 halftime lead.

The Beavers kept executing and scoring at will in the third quarter. Uiagaleiei capped a touchdown drive of nearly seven minutes with his scoring strike to Fenwick, followed by a 1-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Aidan Chiles and a 37-yard scoring run by Fenwick to make it 55-10 with 1:43 left.

Oregon State, which started pulling starters midway through the third quarter, averaged a whopping 8.8 yards per play. Chiles added a 28-yard touchdown pass to Riley Sharp with 5:54 left in the game.
–Field Level Media

New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez (54) runs onto the field for a preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 21, 2022, in East Rutherford.

Nfl Ny Giants Preseason Game Vs Bengals Bengals At Giants

Giants release veteran LB Blake Martinez

The New York Giants surprisingly released linebacker Blake Martinez on Thursday.

Published reports indicate there was unrest between Martinez and the coaching staff, primarily new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.

Martinez, 28, was excused from Wednesday’s practice due to what the team termed as personal reasons. He was back with the squad Thursday prior to the move.

New York claimed offensive lineman Tyre Phillips off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens to fill the roster opening.

Martinez piled up a team-best 151 tackles in 2020 in his first season with the Giants. He had 23 stops in three games last season before sustaining a season-ending ACL injury.

Overall, Martinez has 686 tackles, 13 sacks and four interceptions in 80 games over six NFL seasons. He spent his first four campaigns with the Green Bay Packers before signing a three-year, $30.75 million deal with Giants as a free agent in March 2020.

Phillips, 25 provides the Giants with offensive line depth. He played in 22 games (13 starts) over the past two seasons with Baltimore.

–Field Level Media

Sep 26, 2021; E. Rutherford, N.J., USA;  New York Giants inside linebacker Blake Martinez (54) lays on the field after being injured in a play against the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Giants LB Blake Martinez exits with knee injury

New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez exited Sunday’s game against the visiting Atlanta Falcons with a knee injury.

He was injured on Atlanta’s first drive when he missed an attempted tackle on Falcons wide receiver/running back Cordarrelle Patterson near midfield. He fell to the turf and was attended to by a trainer before heading to the sidelines.

After the Giants took a 3-0 lead on Graham Gano’s 25-yard field goal with 7:01 remaining, the team announced that Martinez was out for the rest of the game.

Martinez, 27, entered Sunday with 21 tackles. He recorded 151 tackles in 2020 in his first season with the Giants, who signed him to a three-year, $30 million contract in March 2020 after he spent his first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton also left the game in the first half, both with hamstring injuries. Both were ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

Shepard was injured in the second quarter and was visibly frustrated on the sidelines when FOX’s television cameras focused on him. He gingerly headed back to the locker room and was holding his hamstring.

Shepard, 28, caught two passes for 16 yards before the injury. He has 18 receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown this season.

Slayton, 24, caught his only target for 8 yards against Atlanta, increasing his season totals to seven receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown.

–Field Level Media

Sep 4, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost on the field prior to the game against the Fordham Rams at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Adrian Martinez leads Nebraska past Buffalo

Adrian Martinez accounted for 354 yards of total offense while Gabe Ervin and Samori Toure each scored two touchdowns as Nebraska overwhelmed Buffalo 28-3 on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, Neb.

Martinez, a fourth-year junior, threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns on 13-of-19 passing and ran for 112 yards. It was his seventh career 100-yard rushing game and put him over 2,000 for his career, the fifth Nebraska quarterback to reach that number.

Ervin, a true freshman, scored on runs of 2 and 1 while Toure hauled in a pair of 68-yard touchdown passes from Martinez.

Nebraska (2-1) had a chance for points on its first two drives but its own mistakes negated any scoring. Connor Culp hit the upright on a 32-yard field goal on the Cornhuskers’ first possession, the first of three misses for the reigning Big Ten Kicker of the Year, and an offensive pass interference call wiped out a 44-yard touchdown catch by Toure.

The ‘Huskers finally broke through midway through the second quarter when, after eluding a sack in the backfield, Martinez scrambled for a 71-yard gain. One play later, Ervin scored from 2 yards out.

Martinez then connected with Toure on a 68-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of the first half to give Nebraska a 14-0 lead at the break.

Buffalo (1-1) got on the board with 9:17 left in the third quarter on a 45-yard field goal by Alex McNulty, tying his career high. McNulty was 1 for 4 on field goals, missing from 52, 50 and 42.

An interception by Nebraska linebacker Luke Reimer, who made a tackle on a fourth down play in the first half to thwart a Buffalo drive, set up Ervin’s second TD on a 1-yard run with 14:47 left in the fourth.

Toure’s second long scoring reception, with 5:53 left in the fourth, came one play after Buffalo opted for a field-goal attempt down 21-3.

Nebraska has given up only 10 points in two games since losing 30-22 at Illinois to open the season. The three points yielded against Buffalo are the fewest since a 24-3 win over Michigan State in 2011.

It was the 377th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium, which set a record for hottest temperature at kickoff at 95 degrees.

–Field Level Media

DeAndre Hopkins of the Cardinals runs after the catch and is tackled by Blake Martinez of the Giantsin the first half as the Arizona Cardinals played the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on December 13, 2020.

The Arizona Cardinals Vs New York Giants At Metlife Stadium In East Rutherford Nj On December 13 2020

Giants place standout LB Blake Martinez on COVID-19 list

New York Giants star linebacker Blake Martinez was placed on the COVID-19 list, the team announced Tuesday.

Martinez recorded 151 tackles last season — ranking third in the NFL — in his first campaign with the Giants.

Safety Joshua Kalu also was placed on the COVID list and rookie wide receiver Kadarius Toney was removed.

Giants coach Joe Judge confirmed Toney’s return but didn’t bring up Martinez or Kalu during his media session. The team revealed the news later in the day.

“(Toney is) with us today in the building, so he’s back with us,” Judge said. “We have a number of guys for different reasons that we’re actually going to take them a little bit slower. Obviously, coming off of that protocol as we learned last year with the number of players on our team throughout the season, we’re going to go and move them around the field and make sure that he’s ready to go, then we’ll start integrating with our team. We’re not going to go ahead and rush anything to get in the process. He’ll be in the meetings with all our players.

“But in terms of practice itself, we’re not going to do anything with him on the field with the team until we know he’s fully ready to go. His timetable will be different, I’m sure, than a lot of the guys last year that we learned from.

“One thing we really took away from last year was these things are all very specific to each person, what their symptoms were or what their exposure was, but that time away from training is what’s critical.”

The 27-year-old Martinez played his first four NFL seasons for the Green Bay Packers. He has accumulated more than 140 tackles in each of the past four seasons; three of those campaigns were with Green Bay.

Kalu signed with the Giants as a free agent in the offseason after spending his first three seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He has 26 tackles in 28 career games.

Toney was a first-round selection (20th overall) out of Florida. He was placed on the COVID list last Thursday after testing positive.

–Field Level Media

Nov 29, 2020; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) looks to throw during the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Giants QB Jones, MLB Martinez questionable vs. Cards

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is listed as questionable due to his hamstring ailment for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Standout middle linebacker Blake Martinez (back) also is among the players listed as questionable. He ranks third in the NFL in tackles with 111.

Jones sat out New York’s 17-12 upset victory over the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday as backup Colt McCoy engineered the stunning road upset for the Giants (5-7).

McCoy completed 13 of 22 passes for 105 yards with one touchdown toss and one interception.

Giants coach Joe Judge is fine with using McCoy for a second straight start, but all indications are that Jones will be ready to go against the Cardinals after he was a full practice participant on Friday.

“Look, I’m fairly optimistic,” Judge said prior to Friday’s practice. “At the same time, there is a ways to go and we have to be fair to him. I’m going to talk with the trainers and medical team and coaches to make sure we’re all on the same page and do the right thing by this guy.”

Jones was injured during a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 29. He has passed for 2,335 yards and eight touchdowns against nine interceptions, while also rushing for 403 yards and one score.

Martinez missed practice Friday after being a limited participant on Thursday. The Giants were hoping he would be further along in his recovery.

Judge said he would remain positive that Martinez — as well as Jones — will be on the field at kickoff.

“I’m not going to try to put some percentage on it,” Judge said. “I’m optimistic on both those guys because, one, the way they’re working, the way they’re responding with the trainers. We have to trust our medical team.”

Martinez has excelled in his first season with New York. He also had at least 144 tackles in each of the previous three seasons as a member of the Green Bay Packers.

Rookie Tae Crowder would start if Martinez can’t play. Crowder has 28 tackles in seven games and also returned a fumble for a score.

Offensive tackle Matt Peart (ankle) and cornerback Darnay Holmes (knee) are also questionable. Defensive back Madre Harper, who sees most of his action on special teams, will miss the game with a knee injury.

The Giants have won four straight games and are tied with the Washington Football Team for first place in the NFC East.

–Field Level Media