FCS playoffs: Sac State tight end Marshel Martin is ‘freak athlete’ with ‘elite’ speed

Speed. There’s no getting around it.

Speed, burst and covering yardage quickly with a ball in his hands is what defines Marshel Martin in a sport that is big on such things.

Martin is Sacramento State’s 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior who is tight-end tough and wide-receiver fast. Tight ends aren’t supposed to be this explosive, but there goes Martin, regularly pulling away from defenders when he pulls in a pass from Jake Dunniway or Asher O’Hara. His top speed has been measured at 21 mph, and that isn’t guesswork.

Hornets players wear a GPS unit on the back of their shoulder pads to gauge such data in an effort to see if athletes are as fast late in the season as they were earlier in it, and if coaches need to dial them down a bit or dial them up.

Martin, a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection, insists on dialing up.

“Speed is my weapon,” the Vallejo native said, beaming after a recent practice. “Most of the time, I’m going to be faster than the guy covering me, so I try to use that to my advantage. I still catch defenders off guard. They just don’t expect to see me this fast.”

Hornets coaches said the aim is to get the ball to Martin as often as they can, and that’s in an offense that features Big Sky rushing leader Cameron Skattebo and All-American receiver Pierre Williams. The offensive balance has added up to a program-best 11-0 record and the No. 2 overall seed in the playoffs. The game plan Saturday in an FCS playoff against Richmond at Hornet Stadium is to feed everyone in green and gold colors, including Flash Martin.

“He’s amazing, the fastest guy on our team, and he can run and he can roll,” Hornets coach Troy Taylor said. “He’s explosive, has great hands, and has that competitive greatness to him.”

Of all the players who hoisted and embraced the Big Sky Conference championship trophy after Sacramento State’s 27-21 win over UC Davis on Nov. 19, Martin especially savored the moment. He wept, then smiled and laughed, then teared up some more.

Martin said he dreamed of playing college football and beyond since his youth, when he was the fastest kid in class and on every team he played for. He was on the 2018 Hornets team that finished winless and in last place in the Big Sky, but he stuck it out. He wasn’t leaving. When he met Taylor and staff when they were hired shortly after that 2018 campaign from hell, Martin was hooked.

“I felt the new coaches such as coach Taylor had a plan, and I trusted them, and I’m glad I stayed,” Martin said. “We had the talent here. We just needed guidance. He was the right piece for us.”

Martin credited strength and conditioning coach Ryan Deatrick with helping him get faster. His goal is to wind up in an NFL training camp. He has 43 receptions for 587 yards and eight touchdowns. He has more career receptions, yards and touchdowns than any non-wide receiver player in program history. And he is still evolving. The first time Martin ever fielded a kickoff at any level was at Portland State on Nov. 11. He scooped up an onside kick and was gone, like a jet in the cool Oregon air and mist.

“He’s not only our fastest guy, but he’s physical,” said Dunniway, the Hornets’ senior quarterback. “He’s built like a receiver, and was a running back in high school. The dude can block. Dude can catch. Dude can return onside kicks for touchdowns. Dude is a freak athlete.”

Taylor said Martin takes none of his success for granted.

“He’s got this incredible spirit about him when he plays,” the coach said. “He has fun out there. He’s like a little kid in terms of his enjoyment. When he has the ball, he legitimately thinks he’s going to score, and sometimes he’s right. How can you not respect and appreciate him?”

Can Martin play in the NFL? Speed talks.

“His speed is elite,” Taylor said. “He’s a tweener (as an NFL prospect), and if he plays tight end, he’ll have to get bigger. There’s a spot for him.”