When Oregon defensive back Cole Martin decided to enter the transfer portal, he had two distinct goals in mind. The Chandler Basha High School alumnus wanted to play close to home and was not seeking the glitz and the glamor that highly coveted transfers such as himself would certainly garner throughout the recruiting process.
Arizona State naturally checks the hometown box for Martin. The Sun Devils certainly rolled out the red carpet when he visited them just a couple of days after entering the portal, but his interactions with the Arizona State coaching staff were a significant aspect of his return to the Valley of the Sun.
“It feels amazing. God is great,” Martin said after he went public with his pledge. “For me, I’m really past the recruitment (process) part, and I’m in a spot in my career where I’m just ready to work. When I entered the portal, I had my mind made up that being home with my family is my main priority, taking care of my siblings, little Cass (Cassius) and little Quincee, and letting them have the ability to watch me play. My mom lives out here and being able to have her close to me is huge.
“(ASU Defensive Analyst) Coach DeWayne Walker and Coach (Kenny) Dillingham are the two guys that I feel I could trust the most in this recruiting process. Coach DeWayne Walker coached my pops (Oregon’s Cornerbacks/Passing Game Coordinator Demetrice Martin), and he’s my double OG. So, being able to pick his brain and get the knowledge that he has is just tremendous.
“So if I was gonna go anywhere else and leave my pops, I had to go to somebody I felt comfortable with. Coach Dillingham has always been upfront with me, and everything he’s told me has always come out factual. Being around him is something that can only bring success because of his mindset and his goals as a coach and as a person. It was a pretty easy decision when I got out to the campus and seeing that the love was there.”
Last season and playing all 14 games for the Ducks, Martin posted 21 tackles, four passes defended, and a lone interception that ironically came versus Arizona State in Tempe during a 49-13 win, a contest where he also logged a season-high five solo tackles. Martin is looking forward to being coached by ASU defensive coordinator Brian Ward, who also coaches the nickel back role, which is where ASU’s newest addition on defense, who arrives with three years left to play, feels that he can contribute the most. Martin is expected to battle senior Macen Williams, who was the primary backup at nickel last year. Sophomore Keith Abney II is also likely to be in the mix for this role in spring practice.
“Coach Ward is a great coach, and he has had the ability to coach guys in the league,” Martin remarked, “and it has been something that has sparked my interest. He also feels that I could be a good fit at the nickel back, and that is one of the positions that I love so much and where I feel is home for me. So, being able to have a coach who believes that I can succeed at the nickel is huge. So that’s why Coach Ward has my trust as well.”
Martin stated that when he played at Mountain America Stadium this past November as a member of the Ducks facing the Sun Devils, he never envisioned that he would be back just a couple of months later, joining the ranks of his hometown team. His father wasn’t his position coach in Eugene (Martin was coached by safeties coach Chris Hampton) and did support his son’s decision to transfer from the team.
“My pops made sure that I got the extra things from him,” Martin noted. “He was in my ear on the field even when he was never truly my real coach, other than during the spring when I was actually at corner. My pops is huge on finishing what you started. But he did a great job of being there for me throughout the (transfer) process, making sure that it was the right decision. So, all credit to my pops for everything he did. The decision wasn’t based off of him at all.”
Martin admitted that wanting to be close to his family meant that he didn’t rule out playing some 100 miles away for the University of Arizona. Even though he was impressed with what the Wildcats have accomplished as of late, his pledge decision still came back to the relationship he formed with ASU’s head coach.
“Being around Coach Dillingham… there’s really something special about him,” Martin explained. “and there’s something special about Tempe that sets everything apart. He’s the type of coach who will do anything to win. He puts his players in a position to do what they need to do to win and put them at the next level. He’s been like that for years and years, always getting the best out of his players. Being around him I saw that this was his only goal for me, to succeed and for me to help this team win games.
“It doesn’t get better than that.”
Martin’s relationships with current and even former ASU players were another element that shaped his decision, gaining more insight into a program that did recruit him for years under the previous staff but also one that he did get to learn new things about over time.
“I talked to Jordan Clark and picked his brain a little bit,” Martin said of last year’s starting nickel, who transferred to Notre Dame. “He loved playing nickel at Arizona State, and he felt that it was a good fit for him. I feel our playing styles can complement each other in certain ways, and we are two totally different players at the end of the day. But I feel that what he does on the field is awesome. He’s very explosive, sticks his nose, likes to tackle, and he’s a ball hawk. Some of those traits are similar to my game, and they can allow me to succeed as a Sun Devil.
“Jaden Rashada is a great quarterback, and he’s growing. His responsibility as a quarterback, and for him to say how much he loves the process of being over here and loves growing, is something that showed me that I can do the same thing over here and be a better player.
“I played for (7x7 team) Tucson Turf with (ASU quarterback) Trenton and (ASU wide receiver) Coben (Bourguet), and they are my second family. I love them with my whole heart. They helped me so much throughout the off seasons when I was with Tucson Turf, and they’ve been guys that have always been there for me. So being able to be on a team with them, I know it’s gonna be extraordinary.”
Martin was overall the most productive of any true freshman in Oregon’s secondary. During his high school career, the defensive back was ranked No. 4 among the 2023 State of Arizona recruits; Martin was one of the most sought-after players in that group, having offers from Arizona State as well as Arizona. Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Cal, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa State, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, and USC, among others.
As he arrives on campus next week to begin his spring semester classes, the defensive back said that determination, rather than pressure, will be the approach guiding him at ASU.
“As a Sun Devil, I just want to win,” Martin stated. “That’s really what I’m focused on, doing the best that I can do to help the Sun Devils win. And that means mentally and physically, I will put my all into it. I don’t feel like it’s a huge weight on my shoulders because it’s a team sport at the end of the day.
“I’m coming in with the mindset of wanting to win games and bring over that winning culture from Oregon that has always been a winning program. That mindset and that culture is something that’s contagious, and when that gets brought over to Arizona State, it could be really special.”
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