Top-Ranked Football Transfer Portal Player to Visit Kentucky

The spring window of the transfer portal is not as busy as its chaotic December counterpart. It nevertheless could produce a lucrative windfall for Mark Stoops’ Kentucky football team.

Former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez is the most talented player available in the transfer portal, according to On3. Kentucky is one of the top schools he’s considering.

Martinez announced his intent to enter the transfer portal last week. Today he tells On3’s Hayes Fawcett he will visit five schools, including Kentucky. The Cats will get one of his last visits. The schedule:

Arizona: April 17-18
Mississippi State: April 19-20
Tennessee: April 21-22
Kentucky: April 23-24
Miami: April 25-27

Martinez was one of the top running backs in the Pac-12 a year ago. He finished third in the league with 1,185 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, propelling the Beavers to an 8-4 regular season. Once Oregon State was left high and dry in conference realignment, head coach Jonathan Smith bolted for Michigan State, putting Martinez in a precarious position.

Instead of immediately following his coach’s lead, Martinez agreed to be the building block of next year’s Oregon State team. He was reportedly offered $400,000 in NIL compensation, money he’s leaving on the table to transfer to another school. What has followed is a finger-pointing game between the Dam Nation NIL collective and Martinez, who claimed he was lied to throughout the process.

Oregon State’s loss could be Kentucky’s gain.

The Wildcats have steadily churned out 1,000-yard backs since 2016. The last player Kentucky brought in via the transfer portal led the SEC in total touchdowns from scrimmage and is now on his way to being selected in the NFL Draft. Ray Davis provided a path, one that was enticing enough for Chip Trayanum to transfer from Ohio State this offseason.

The addition of Trayanum and the emergence of Jason Patterson led this insider to believe Kentucky would not pursue any running backs in the transfer portal this spring. When a talent like Martinez becomes an option, it’s one you must consider. There are two visits to SEC schools ahead of his planned trip to Lexington. We’ll closely monitor the situation until Kentucky gets to take a crack at this impressive running back talent.

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