Tag: Demetrice Martin

Oregon to promote safeties coach Chris Hampton to DBs Coach

On Tuesday afternoon, the news broke that Oregon Ducks cornerbacks’ coach Demetrice Martin has accepted a position at Michigan State under Jonathan Smith. To fill the position, Oregon is now expected to promote Chris Hampton, the current …

On Tuesday afternoon, the news broke that Oregon Ducks cornerbacks’ coach Demetrice Martin has accepted a position at Michigan State under Jonathan Smith. To fill the position, Oregon is now expected to promote Chris Hampton, the current co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, to defensive backs coach according to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports.

Hampton was hired in the spring of 2023 to replace former safeties coach Matt Powledge, who became the Baylor Bears defensive coordinator last offseason. Before Oregon, Hampton was the defensive coordinator at Tulane and was a big part of the Green Wave’s Cotton Bowl victory over USC. In 2023, Hampton was instrumental in integrating transfer safeties Evan Williams and Tysheem Johnson into the Ducks defense.

Zenitz also reported that Hampton has turned down multiple DC jobs with other Power 5 teams in order to stay with the Ducks. He also included the tidbit both Brian Michalowski and Rashad Wadood are expected to be promoted as well into bigger roles with the linebackers and cornerbacks, respectively.

The loss of Martin is a big one. Martin was one of the first coaches hired by Dan Lanning when Lanning’s Oregon career started, and he has been one of the most beloved coaches in the program since he was hired. Martin’s departure also probably played a role in his son, Cole Martin’s (a freshman safety), decision to transfer to Arizona State.

The state of Oregon’s secondary is a bit of an unknown for 2024. The Ducks are losing Khyree Jackson, Evan Williams, and Steve Stephens, but they’re adding 4-star transfer Kam Alexander, 4-star JUCO recruit Sione Laulea, and potentially Jabbar Muhammad, who entered the transfer portal after Kalen DeBoer left Washington for Alabama, but has yet to commit to a new school.

Michigan State football poaches Oregon CBs coach and MSU alum Demetrice Martin

Michigan State has managed to poach away a great coach from Oregon. He played for MSU from 1992-95:

Long-time Michigan State football fans will remember the name Demetrice Martin. The former Spartans played for the team from 1992-95 and was First Team All-Big Ten in 1994.

Since then, Demetrice Martin has made quite the name for himself in the PAC-12 as a defensive backs coach at different schools around the conference.

His last role was at Oregon, where he was a force in both recruiting and developing NFL caliber defensive backs as the cornerbacks coach and the passing game coordinator. Now, the Spartans will bring him back home, officially signing Martin to the staff this week.

247Sports had it first:

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Oregon cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin to take job at Michigan State

Oregon Ducks’ cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin is expected to leave Eugene and join the coaching staff at Michigan State.

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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Michigan State football: Five defensive coordinator options as hire nears

Five candidates for the Michigan State defensive coordinator job as the hire looms near:

Just as Alan Haller’s search for a new football coach was tight lipped, Jonathan Smith’s search for a defensive coordinator has been very hush hush and close to the vest.

The clock is ticking for Smith to make a hire because the transfer portal is going crazy and the early signing period is less than two weeks away.

Naturally, the list of defensive coordinator candidates has shrunk, and Smith is homing in on specific candidates as he will looks to lock-in his defensive staff as the big recruiting month rolls along.

Let’s take a look, based on some educated guessing and intel from sourcing Spartans Wire has obtained, at which five candidates could be on Smith’s shortlist:

Ten Potential candidates to be the next defensive coordinator of Michigan State football

10 possible candidates that can be the next defensive coordinator at Michigan State

With the hiring of Jonathan Smith as Michigan State’s next head football coach, it also means that there will be a new staff coming to East Lansing. While Smith has already gotten a huge jump on hiring his staff, click here to view who has been hired by Smith so far, he has yet to announce who will be serving as the defensive coordinator for his staff.

Smith had two defensive coordinators throughout his tenure at Oregon State, so there are several options and possibilities for Smith to explore.

Let’s take a look at some of the potential candidates that could potentially be in the mix for MSU’s defensive coordinator position:

Demetrice Martin describes where defense has most improved since 2022

Oregon CB coach Demetrice Martin has been impressed with the growth and development from the defensive secondary this offseason.

A year ago, the Oregon Ducks had a offense that was as good as any in the nation, but a defense that at times struggled to hang with the best teams in the Pac-12. Whether it was missed assignments or blown coverages, the defensive secondary often received ridicule for their play down the stretch.

The Ducks finished the year with the No. 106 passing defense in the nation, with a third-down conversion rate that ranked No. 126 in the nation. While a lot of that had to do with the lack of a pass rush applying pressure to the QB, the secondary also shares some of the blame with subpar coverage.

Going into 2023, though, the defensive secondary is hoping to have a stronger start to the year, and cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin says that the driving factor in their success so far has been connection and communication.

“A lot more connection within the scheme,” Coach Meat said. “A lot better communication, understanding when to use certain tools that we’ve given them to put in their tool belt when it comes up to different parts of the coverages. Knowing just the different formations, things like that. A lot of that is a lot smoother.”

With many players in the secondary entering their second year under Dan Lanning and Coach Meat, there are others who transferred in this year to provide some support. Among them are former Colorado CB Nikko Reed, Alabama CB Khyree Jackson, and Ole Miss safety Tysheem Johnson. With those three, and a long list of incoming freshmen, Martin says that the learning process is taking some time, but guys are coming along quickly.

“Obviously, the young guys are struggling a little bit but they’re coming along too because we got a lot more guys that know it on the field,” Martin said.

As fall camp continues to roll along and the Ducks iron out more of a depth chart, the cream will rise to the top. There is a lot of talent in the secondary, but more production is crucial as Oregon prepares for a promising season that could land them in the College Football Playoff conversation.

After listening to Coach Meat, they appear to be well on their way to achieving that production.

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PFF release the top 10 returning safeties in the Pac-12

The Ducks used the transfer portal this offseason to land some of the top-graded safeties going into the 2023 season.

Arguably the most important part of a team’s defense is that team’s safeties. Their No. 1 job is protecting against and discouraging the deep ball, but they also have a responsibility in the run game. Since CBs typically have smaller frames, safeties are often the primary tacklers on outside zone runs, a running style becoming more and more popular.

Last season, the Oregon Ducks struggled defensively, but they especially struggled against the run. Sure, a lot of that responsibility goes to the front seven, but with the support of consistent tackling safeties, things may have gone smoother.

On Sunday, Pro Football Focus (PFF) released a list of the top 10 returning safeties in the Pac-12, ranked by PFF grade. While a Ducks safety doesn’t top the list, Oregon has more entries than any other school, which bodes well for a more consistent and physical defense than we saw in 2022.

Here’s where Oregon’s safeties rank among the top in the conference, per PFF.

4-star Safety, Jakob Gude puts Oregon in his top five

4-star Safety, Jakob Gude puts Oregon in his top five

Since the start of Dan Lanning’s tenure at Oregon, one of the Ducks’ biggest recruiting strengths has been at defensive back. It is likely that a lot of this success is due to the prowess of defensive backs coach, Demtrice Martin whose son Cole Martin will start his freshman year at Oregon next fall.

On Wednesday, another quality 2024 DB, Jakob Gude, showed interest in joining forces with the Ducks after high school when he named the Oregon Ducks one of his top five schools. Gude is ranked by 247Sports as a top 50 safety in next year’s class and the 53rd best player from his home state, Georgia.

Gude is nearly 6 feet tall and is 180 lbs. In pass defense, he uses his lean frame to cover ground more quickly than many bigger safeties could. While that lean frame can sometimes hurt Gude in the run game, his ability to position himself before and during the play can often make up for his lack of size.

Jakob Gude’s Recruiting Profile

Position Outlook: Nikko Reed adds another playmaker to crowded cornerback room

Who will be competing for the starting CB spots at Oregon, and how good are their chances of securing it? We broke down the options.

When coming to Oregon over a year ago, head coach Dan Lanning said that he wanted to create a Ducks’ roster that was stacked with talent, and competitive top to bottom. He didn’t care about the players who were listed as starters before his time in Eugene; his goal was to amass talent and have them all compete for the starting spot on the field.

“Iron sharpens iron.”

It’s a common phrase uttered by Lanning and his staff. It’s been impressive to see how the roster has taken shape over the past off-season with that ideal in mind.

Position battles are going to be fascinating to watch this fall in Eugene. With a handful of incoming transfers and many more highly-ranked recruits, the Ducks have a roster that is fraught with guys who could easily win the starting jobs.

One of the positions on the roster that will see the most competition is cornerback. The Ducks have welcomed in a couple of transfers who have shown that they can produce at a high level in the past, and there are some incoming freshmen who have a shot to make some noise as well. On top of the newcomers, veteran mainstays like Trikweze Bridges, Dontae Manning, and Jahlil Florence are also fighting to stay near the top of the depth chart.

What will the end result be once fall comes? We can’t wait to see. Here’s an early position outlook for the cornerbacks in Eugene.

4-Star CB names Oregon as one of his top schools

Another 4-star recruit in the class of 2024 names UO as one of his top schools. Check out CB Selman Bridges here:

Since coming to Eugene last year, head coach Dan Lanning and defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin have recruited an abundance of highly-skilled DBs. Former Alabama CB Khyree Jackson, high school track star Rodrick Pleasant, and 4-star Cole Martin — Demetrice’s son — were all recruited under the tandem of Martin and Lanning.

Now at the start of the 2024 recruiting cycle, Lanning and Martin seem to have another talented DB interested in Oregon. Yesterday, CB Selman Bridges named UO as one of his top nine schools. Bridges is a 4-star player who hails from Texas, which is the state home to four of his other top schools.

At 6’3″ Bridges is much taller than the typical CB, but he still possesses the breakaway speed that is vital for a lockdown corner. In coverage, he seems most comfortable in man-to-man sets, and he is capable both in the press and when he is backed off the line.

Even though Oregon has a surplus of young DBs, Oregon could still be an enticing destination for Bridges. In the 2023 NFL draft, former Duck Christian Gonzalez was the second CB selected, and a program’s ability to produce NFL-caliber CBs is a strong selling point.

Selman Bridges Recruiting Profile