Marshel Martin invited to rookie minicamp with New York Jets

It seems Marshel Martin can’t escape wearing the green.

He first wore the color on his high school uniform at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School with the Bruins until he graduated in 2018 — the same year he won the Times-Herald’s Male Athlete of the Year.

More recently, he’s donned the color at Sacramento State in an illustrious, record-breaking football career.

He wants to make it a trifecta, going Gotham green with the New York Jets.

Just 10 minutes the NFL draft concluded without Martin’s being named called, he got a phone call from the New York Jets, asking him if could attend a rookie minicamp this coming weekend in New Jersey.

“My first thought after the phone call was, ‘I can’t escape wearing green,’” Martin said Monday, with a laugh. “But that’s OK. I love wearing green. To me, it’s gold.”

Martin scored a school record 27 touchdowns as a tight end at Sacramento State, including 12 his junior year. That same season he had 65 catches for 879 yards, earning second team All-America honors from the Associated Press, Stats Perform and the AFCA. He was also named to the all-Big Sky Conference first team.

Martin added another 36 catches for 315 yards this past season in his senior year. He earned first team all-Big Sky honors for the third consecutive season, becoming just the fourth player in school history to do so, joining running back Charles Roberts (1998-2000) and wide receivers Fred Amey (2002-04) and Pierre Williams (2019-22).

Even with all that recognition, he still wasn’t drafted. On Monday, Martin said he never got too down not hearing his name called. One of the Jets top scouts, Dom Esposito, had called Martin during the week of the draft to say the team was interested in him.

Martin also took comfort in the knowledge that some of the NFL’s best players of all time weren’t drafted — successful players like Hall-of-Famers Kurt Warner and Larry Little, as well as Joe Jacoby, Priest Holmes, Larry Little, and native C.J. Anderson.

“I never felt bad because 10 minutes after the draft ended I got the call from the Jets,” Martin said. “It was a blessing to get that call while I was with my family in Sacramento. It’s my journey and it’s all in God’s hands. I’m appreciative to be in God’s plans. It’s a different journey, but I’m blessed to have the patience and opportunity.”

Martin leaves for New Jersey on Thursday to a Friday and Saturday minicamp, with a chance of possibly doing more on Sunday.

“It’s time to take over the Big Apple,” Martin said, with a laugh. “I’ve never been on the East Coast before, so I’m very excited to show my talents to the team. They haven’t told me what exactly I’ll be doing for them but I’m prepared to work hard. If they want to to be a running back I’m ready to run the ball. If they want me to be a tight end I’m ready to block, catch passes and do whatever it takes. I’ll even work to find a way to make the special teams if I can.”

Martin was special in high school, being named the Times-Herald’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2018 for starring in football and basketball for the Bruins.He would be the second of three straight Male Athlete of the Year winners that played for the school’s football team.

During Martin’s senior year he ran for over 1,600 yards and 25 touchdowns, helping the Bruins repeat as North Coast Section Division V champions. In September of that year he ran for 291 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-35 win over Berean Christian.

Martin only seemed to get better as the year progressed, especially during the playoffs. Against Stellar Prep he rushed for 215 yards and five touchdowns, while the next week against Clear Lake he had five more touchdowns on 231 yards rushing. He also starred on defense, forcing two fumbles in the Bruins’ loss to Strathmore in a CIF regional bowl game in Tulare County.

Not bad for a running back that wanted to play wide receiver when he first came to St. Pat’s.

“He caught a ball over the middle on a shallow crossing route and just ran over people on the way to the end zone,” former St. Pat’s head coach Lane Hawkins said of Martin’s first game as a sophomore. “Myself and Bobby (Brooks, assistant coach) just looked at each other and mouthed the words ‘running back’ to each other. When we told him he’d play that position, he just shrugged and said, ‘Whatever coach.’” He would later turn out to be a better fit as a tight end in college because he was such a mismatch for team’s secondaries and outside linebackers.”

Hawkins, Martin’s head coach at St. Pat’s, says he still talks with his former player.

“When I learned he was headed to minicamp with the Jets, there was a huge level of excitement and pride for this great young man,” Hawkins said. “I can’t call him a kid anymore.”

Martin said he still uses some words of advice he received at St. Pat’s.

“In my mind I need to always show resilience,” Martin said. “They always told me to grind and that would be the best thing for me. I’m in a position to help my career and help my family so I need to keep working hard.”