7/26/2023 football Edit

BeaversEdge Top 25 For 2023: No. 4 Damien Martinez

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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In the months leading up to the start of fall camp, BeaversEdge.com will be counting down the Top 25 Oregon State football players on the 2023 roster.

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No. 4 Damien Martinez

No. 6

6-foot, 230-pounds

Running Back

So.

Lewisville, Texas

Lewisville HS

2022 Stats: 982 rushing yards on 161 carries, scoring seven touchdowns

2022 Recap

In his first season with Oregon State in 2022, true freshman running back Damien Martinez arrived on the scene in a big way, tallying 982 rushing yards (6.1 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns en route to Freshman All-American Honors.

It took Martinez roughly half the season to fully claim the starting running back job, but once he did, he took off like a shot out of a cannon. He played in all 13 games (five starts) and his 982 rush yards ranked fourth nationally among all FBS freshmen and was fourth-best in the Pac-12...

The Beavers opened the year with Deshaun Fenwick, Jam Griffin, and Martinez all getting various reps before Martinez popped for 83 yards and a touchdown against Stanford in the sixth game of the season.

Once Martinez became the guy following the Stanford game, he began a streak of six-straight 100-yard plus performances, tying Steven Jackson's Oregon State record... his best performance of the year came against Colorado, taking 22 carries for 178 yards and three touchdowns.

The streak was snapped against Florida as Martinez could not finish the contest, but his dominance on the field in the second half of the season was a big reason why the Beavers could ride the running game to wins. If Martinez hadn't been as effective as he was, it would have put a lot more pressure on Ben Gulbranson and the offense.

Martinez was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week three times and was named the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Weekly honorable mention five times...

Also impressively, Martinez was able to showcase he could handle a big-time workload when necessary. The Beavers last year wanted to rotate backs and will again this year, but seeing Martinez be able to handle at least 15 carries in each of those 100-plus performances says how physically ready he was as an 18-year-old last season.

For his efforts, Martinez was the recipient of numerous awards, including The Athletic Freshman All-America First Team, College Football News Freshman All-America Third Team, Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Of The Year, All-Pac-12 First Team, Phil Steele All-Pac-12 First Team, Associated Press All-Pac-12 Second Team, and PFF All-Pac-12 Third Team.

2023 Outlook

Heading into the 2023 season, Martinez is primed to have another terrific year, running behind Oregon State's veteran offensive line. The Beavers should be able to open up running lanes for him with ease, and his great patience, footwork, and breakaway speed as a runner will be on full display.

Unlike the start of last season, Martinez is now the de-facto No. 1 guy in the room and everyone knows he's getting a ton of reps. However, just like last season, look for the Beavers not to overwork Martinez because of the terrific depth at the position in Deshaun Fenwick and Jam Griffin.

I expect Fenwick, Griffin, and to an extent, Isaiah Newell to get reps this season, but make no mistake, Martinez is the lead guy in the backfield and has the chance to elevate himself in the Oregon State record books in the seasons to come.

He's got that "it" factor, and perhaps most impressively for Jonathan Smith and the Beavers, is all in with Oregon State and the program. In today's world of NIL bags being thrown around, Martinez staying locked in with the program showcases his outstanding character and desire to finish what we started.

Look for Martinez to have a big-time season, pacing the Beavers in rushing yards and all but likely crossing the 1,000-yard barrier. He's one of the best running backs in the country and he'll look to showcase that in a big way this season.

Like a couple of other players we've mentioned on this countdown, the Beavers need a big season from Martinez to reach their goals of a Pac-12 Championship or better and he's more than capable of being the lead back to take you there....