Buckeyes defensive back Cameron Martinez plans to enter transfer portal
COLUMBUS — Cameron Martinez spent four seasons transitioning from a do-it-all athlete into a safety and defensive playmaker at Ohio State.
His full potential will have be be reached somewhere else.
Martinez intends to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal on Thursday, Lettermen Row confirmed. The news was first reported by Dotting The Eyes’ Jeremy Birmingham. He will have multiple years of eligibility elsewhere.
Martinez, a former prep quarterback at Muskegon High School in Muskegon, Michigan, committed to Ohio State to play for Jeff Hafley in the Buckeyes secondary. When Hafley left, the Buckeyes brought in Matt Barnes and Kerry Coombs to coach the secondary before parting ways with those two and hiring Perry Eliano. The constant flux of voices and changing schemes made it difficult for Martinez to settle in at one specific position for the Buckeyes.
Still, Cameron Martinez found himself taking first-team reps at the nickel safety and nickel cornerback role during spring practice last April, showing that he had taken a huge step toward being a foundational piece of an improving defense.
“He has corner cover skills,” Buckeyes defensive backs coach Tim Walton said of Martinez in late March. “He has quick feet, he has good change of direction, he has good ball skills at the top of routes, excellent quickness and change of direction. That’s the stuff you need playing in the slot. … They move guys around there. That’s dealing with space, and you can work in and out. So the intermediate routes and quick game is where you need guys that can have fluid hips and be able to move there.
“He does that well.”
But training camp saw him slip down the depth chart, clearing the way for Sonny Styles and Jordan Hancock to take over in the nickel role, leaving Cameron Martinez as a depth piece who played sparingly in 2023. He finished the year with two total tackles.
With three years of playing experience at Ohio State, Martinez should be able to find a home at a new program that is looking for a solid defensive back.
“I feel like I can play a lot bigger than what people may think,” Martinez said in the spring. “I think that’s good, too, because you don’t have to really change anything. You’ll be able to go three downs or go a whole drive without having to switch. If they go bigger personnel, it really doesn’t matter for us. We’re still able to play the same way.”
Cameron Martinez spent four years working to carve out a role in the Ohio State secondary. But he’s now looking for a fresh start elsewhere with multiple years of eligibility to do so.
