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Paolo Uggetti, ESPN
Former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez announced on social media Saturday that he is transferring to Miami.
Martinez said April 10 that he would be entering the portal following a 1,185-yard, nine-touchdown sophomore season as a Beaver. In a social media post at the time, Martinez called it “the hardest [decision] I’ve made in my entire life.”
Since announcing his decision to transfer, the Lewisville, Texas, native visited multiple schools, including Miami, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Arizona.
During his freshman year in Corvallis, Martinez showed his potential by debuting with 982 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He helped Oregon State to 18 wins over his two seasons — one more than it had as a program from 2017 to ’22.
Yet despite their success, the Beavers saw the Pac-12 dissolve and their head coach, Jonathan Smith, leave for the head-coaching position at Michigan State. Since the season ended, 23 OSU players have entered the portal.
Despite a disappointing 7-6 campaign last year, the Hurricanes continue to add talent under coach Mario Cristobal.
Since the opening of the portal, Miami has added four former four-star recruits, including Washington State quarterback Cam Ward, who surely will benefit from having Martinez in the backfield in 2024.
Miami averaged 173 rushing yards on the ground per game last year — good for 45th in the country. But the Canes had only two runs of 40 yards or more. Last season, Martinez had four such runs by himself.
