Program Spotlight: James Martin

By Brian Reinhardt

Raleigh, N.C. - Change is a part of life for everybody. In the world of college football, players often have to deal with not only different coaches coming and going, but sometimes even changes in where they are playing on the field from one year to the next. Such is the case of senior linebacker James Martin.

Martin came to NC State in 2003 as a highly recruited player from Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Florida. That year, Ely had 14 players that went to college on football scholarships, and Martin put together a senior season of 22.5 sacks.

He stepped onto the field right away as a true freshman at NC State, playing in all 13 games and playing a total of 361 snaps at defensive end. Then came a change for Martin, a change that has happened every year since.

After his strong freshman season, the NC State coaches moved Martin to middle linebacker for spring workouts. But during that summer, he tore his ACL and was forced to redshirt the 2004 campaign.

Fully recovered and getting ready for the 2005 season, Martin was once again working with the linebackers and was named the most improved linebacker after spring drills.

Right before the season started, however, the Pack had a lack of depth on the defensive line and asked Martin to move back to the position he played as a freshman. He saw action in 11 contests as a back-up defensive end during his sophomore season.

Last season came another change, this time seeing Martin play outside linebacker for the first time in his career at NC State. He started the first four games of the season as the strongside linebacker, but suffered a dislocated bone in his wrist, and underwent surgery and missed the remained of the season.

Now it is his senior season, and Martin is back playing middle linebacker, a position he started playing in 2004, but is playing in a game for the first time in his career.

“Playing in the middle has been great,” said Martin. “I’ve pretty much played it all (on defense), mostly on the ends either as a linebacker or an end. I do like playing in the middle because I get to be all over the field, I get to see everything rather than just playing one side.

“Making all the switches, I don’t try to let it bother me or think about it too much. I just look at it as another opportunity to get out on the field and to play every time we are out there. For a player you just want to be on the field, and that’s how I’ve approached it. In the end everything did work out for me, now I just go out there and play.”

Not only has Martin had to adjust to new positions that different coaches have asked him to play while here at NC State, Martin has also had numerous coaching changes that have affected him.

“I think my first change was when we changed my freshman year,” said Martin. “That was a big change for me, but over the years it seems like there has been a change every year so you just have to be able to adjust. The biggest thing is that once you have a new position coach or a new coordinator you just have to delete everything in your mind and be willing to listen and learn if it is a new way of doing things.”

His senior season is yet another year when he is learning from a new position coach, as first year head coach Tom O’Brien brought in four new defensive coaches. But Martin has taken to the new defensive staff this season, and has been getting high marks from new linebackers coach Andy McCollum early in the season.

“He is in a position where every day is important to him,” McCollum told The Wolfpacker in August. “He has tremendous work ethic, and he’s in the middle of the defense. He’s a tough guy.

“He just needs to keep working on his reads and keys. James wants to work hard out there and be remembered. He wants to do well. He is fun to coach because the game means something to James. We need a good, healthy season from him.”

Despite the switch in coaches, the linebacking unit is one of the strengths of this year’s team because all three starters are redshirt-seniors. Martin, playing in the middle, is joined by Ernest Jones and LeRue Rumph as the two starting outside linebackers.

“I think having the three of us as starters is so important for our defense this season,” said Martin. “We have so much experience, all as starters and just getting a large amount of snaps over the years. We know what it’s like to be out there in games, because there’s a big difference from practice. I think that makes our defense stronger this season, just knowing the three of us have been in the battles before.”

Martin has been one of the leaders on the defense this season, and has a clear vision of how he can help this team keep getting better results on the field.

“My major goal right now is to continue to help the team, and bring this team together and keep improving each week as a unit,” said Martin.

“There is always room for improvement. The main thing I’ve been working on is trying to read plays better, anticipating more of what is about to happen rather than it just coming to me and reacting that way. If you can go out there and be able to read the offense, you have the ability as a linebacker to make so many more plays.”

While he is one of those players always striving to improve on the field, Martin also understands the importance of getting away from football and letting his mind think about other things that he enjoys in life.

“I love to go over to the Murphy Center and watch film to keep improving as a player, but once I leave for the night I try to leave everything pertaining to football there,” said Martin. “I like my down time, because it’s good to think about football and ways to improve, but it’s also good just to get away for a while and get your mind on other things.”

While he might like to listen to some slow jams, and even writes some poetry to free his mind, Martin has one hobby he truly loves. Almost everybody on NC State’s campus has seen his pride and joy, his 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass.

“I have that car that me and my dad have done a lot of work on,” said Martin. “It has been stolen and we have rebuilt it with a big, block motor. I have some nice rims on it, and set it up with TVs and a sound system. I take pride in taking care of it.”

Majoring in criminology and set to graduate this December, Martin already has a head start on life once his college days are over. This semester he has been an intern with the State Bureau of Investigation in Raleigh. Although it has been a lot of hard work this fall, Martin more than enjoys the type of work he is doing with the SBI.

“I’ve been taking one course on campus and also having to do 30 hours a week of interning at the SBI,” said Martin. “We keep the streets clean from crime, as the SBI works more cases that need to be investigated. I really enjoy that type of work, and I would like to look into a future working in the field.”

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