One of the most prominent coaches on the Oregon Ducks defensive staff is making a big move, reportedly leaving Eugene to join Jonathan Smith’s coaching staff in East Lansing with the Michigan State Spartans.
Ducks Wire has confirmed a report of the move, which initially came from Fifth Quarter’s Mike Black.
Coach Martin was one of the first hires that Dan Lanning made back at the end of 2021 when he came to Eugene, and he has been one of the best recruiters and coaches on the team, routinely landing top-rated players out of both the transfer portal and from the high school ranks.
Before coming to Oregon, Martin spent time with the Colorado Buffaloes, Arizona Wildcats, UCLA Bruins, Washington Huskies, and USC Trojans. He will now join Smith, who took the head job at Michigan State after leaving the Oregon State Beavers at the end of last season.
The move for Martin allows a couple of dots to be connected in Eugene, where stand-out freshman CB Cole Martin — the son of Demetrice Martin — announced earlier this offseason that he would be entering the transfer portal. He ended up transferring closer to home, joining former Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see who the Ducks look at as the next cornerbacks coach, but fans can feel confident that head coach Dan Lanning will not have been caught off guard by this news, and should have a plan in place.
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