Where Oregon State Stands At RB Following Damien Martinez's Departure

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With former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez announcing his departure via the transfer portal on Wednesday morning, BeaversEdge takes a closer look at the RB room and where the Beavers will turn moving forward...

NOTE - Only scholarship players listed

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Following a one-year stint at Ole Miss, Jam Griffin returned to Corvallis ahead of spring practices, and given the departure of Martinez, his return couldn't have been better timed.

While Griffin wasn't the lead-back during his lone season in Corvallis in 2022, he made the most of his opportunities and had his best collegiate year. Operating as a part of a trio that included Martinez, Deshaun Fenwick, and himself, Griffin tallied 488 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 86 carries.

With Martinez no longer in the fold, Griffin is the prime candidate to be the Beavers' No. 1 RB entering the season. He'll likely be a part of a dynamic duo along with Anthony Hankerson, but if Griffin was looking for an opportunity to truly shine, it's right in front of him and he has the talent to seize it...

Already catching eyeballs and turning heads in spring practice, the Beavers may have landed one of the more underrated transfers in the offseason in Colorado RB Anthony Hankerson.

Coach Prime told all of us via social media following Hankerson's pledge to OSU that the Beavers were getting a really good player, and if the eye test is any indication these first few weeks of spring, Deion was spot on...

Checking in at 5-foot-9, 195 pounds Hankerson boasts a very similar frame to that of Griffin and I expect the Beavers to put the ball in his hands a lot. Hankerson has been the most busy RB of the group in terms of first-team reps this spring, so he's certainly impressing right away.

He's coming off a sophomore campaign with the Buffs that saw him take 78 carries for 319 yards and one score, while also adding in 16 receptions for 71 yards. New OC Ryan Gunderson wants to utilize the backs in the passing game more, and that seems like a big opportunity for Griffin and Hankerson, who have a lot to offer in that department with their skill sets...

His blend of speed, quickness, and physicality makes him a tough tackle in the open field and with Martinez out the door, an opportunity for him to have a massive role for the Beavers this season is very much on the table.

Many Beaver fans don't yet know the name Anthony Hankerson, but they should, he's been that impressive in spring so far...

Perhaps the biggest recipient of an increased role in the wake of Martinez's departure, could this be the season we see Newell put it all together and have a consistent role in the backfield?

The redshirt junior is coming off an rs-sophomore season that saw him tally 78 rushing yards on 25 carries. That wasn't quite the sophomore season we expected from Newell as he made a name for himself in the 2022 game against Oregon with two important scores.

When Griffin departed ahead of 2023, it was assumed that Newell would settle in as the No. 3 option behind Martinez and Fenwick, thus giving him the runway to have his most impactful season. However, he only got 25 carries and never got an extended opportunity to show what he could do.

That's a thing of the past as Newell is now the Beavers' biggest running back in the room, boasting a similar frame to that of Martinez at 6-foot-1, 225 pounds. Given that Griffin and Hankerson are both smaller backs in comparison, Newell could drastically see his role increase moving forward.

We've seen flashes of what he can do, the question is can he put it all together with a big-time opportunity in front of him?

While the Beavers only have three scholarship running backs on the roster as of writing this piece, that won't be the case for long as the Beavers are set to bring in two high schoolers, including La Marque (TX) alum Salahadin Allah.

Allah was quick to hit social media in the wake of Martinez's departure, posting that after hearing the news, he "got a little hungrier than I already was." That's certainly welcome news for the program that Allah will be ready to hit the ground running when he arrives this summer.

While only a two-star recruit, Allah might be one of the more underrated RBs in the 2024 class after tallying 1,500 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns combined in his junior and senior years of high school. Playing in a talent-rich state like Texas also increases the likelihood he would be able to adjust to the college game very quickly...

The other incoming freshman running back, Hatcher comes to Corvallis after an impressive prep career at Corona Centennial High School in California.

The 6-foot, 206-pounder is coming off a sensational senior season where he tallied 2,257 yards and 42 touchdowns. That came on the heels of his junior season where he recorded 1,285 rush yards and 21 touchdowns.

That's all to say that Hatcher can really run with the rock in his hands and it's a big reason why the coaching staff was so excited to land him relatively late in the recruiting process.

With three-plus years of starting experience at Centennial, Hatcher like Allah, can hit the ground running and be a key contributor for the Beavers if called upon.

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