With questions at quarterback, can LJ Martin be an answer for BYU’s offense?

BYU running back LJ Martin is tackled by Central Florida defenders during a game last season in Orlando, Fla. | Kevin Kolcynski, Associated Press. PROVO (KSL.com) — With so many questions around the BYU quarterback room leading up to the Cougars’ trip to Big 12 football media days in Frisco, Texas, the program’s player representatives only featured two offensive players. One was Chase Roberts, who was not available to the print media during breakout interview sessions Tuesday, but the American Fork product’s body of work speaks for itself: a returning team captain who caught 52 passes for 854 yards and four touchdowns and one of the Cougars’ two representatives on the All-Big 12 preseason team (placekicker Will Ferrin was the other). There’s no doubt Roberts will be one of the key leaders at BYU this fall, as wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake told KSL.com last month. But speaking for the offense at The Star, home of the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility and headquarters, was LJ Martin. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound rising junior tailback is normally quiet and reserved. But the El Paso native broke out of his shell with local and national media like his Alamo Bowl MVP performance to cap off BYU’s 11-2 campaign. At one point, a reporter not from Utah asked Martin, who is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, about the school’s honor code. The former Canutillo High star didn’t take any bait, either. “If you’re a Christian and believe in Christian beliefs, that’s pretty much the honor code,” Martin responded. “Me being a non-member of the church, it doesn’t really matter to me. I believe in what Christ wants to do, and that’s part of the honor code.” The same reporter tried to ask Martin about Retzlaff’s place on the team, too. “He hasn’t said nothing,” the tailback stated. “So I’m just going to leave it up to him.” Martin won’t just be the focus of media inquiries this fall; he’s in line to be the featured back of BYU’s offense, with sophomore Sione Moa, redshirt freshman Pokaiaua Haunga, redshirt freshman Jovesa Damuni and fifth-year senior Enoch Nawahine in line to back him up. Make no mistake, Martin is a leader. That’s clear even to his newer teammates. “LJ’s an amazingly humble individual, which is remarkable for the MVP of the Alamo Bowl,” said defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa, who transferred from Utah before the spring. “He’s a remarkable player. His work ethic is unmatched; he’s in there more than I am, and that’s a heavy thing to say. “I try to match his intensity and his desire to get better,” he added. “He’s phenomenal, and he’s humble, which is one thing that we need as a leader.” The soon-to-be upper classmen’s focus has been squarely on his game, too. Martin led BYU with 109 carries, 518 yards and four rushing touchdowns as a true freshman in 2023, when the former Texas 5A MVP arrived in Provo following a signing-day flip from Stanford. That was the original signing day, not the now-more common early signing day. Martin also didn’t graduate early to enroll for an extra spring practice period. But he started five of 10 games as a freshman, then eight of 10 as a sophomore in 2024 — when Martin ran for 718 yards and seven touchdowns on 127 carries. By the time the Cougars faced Big 12 rival Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, Martin ran free for 93 yards and two scores in a 36-14 win over the then-No. 23 Buffaloes. “It was cool, just helping us reassure ourselves against Travis Hunter, the second overall pick, and Shedeur (Sanders), who was a top pick at the time,” Martin said. “Playing with those guys reassured us that we were in the right space … and that we were doing the right thing. Now we just need to continue to get better.” Martin feels like he has another level, too. He said he’s set a goal to run for 1,000 yards as a junior. For all his successes of the 2024 campaign — including All-Big 12 honorable mention honors by the College Football Network and back-to-back 100-yard games in wins over Oklahoma State and UCF — Martin still hasn’t had a fully healthy season at running back. He missed all or parts of four games in 2024. “Being hurt for so much of last year, I’ve never felt like I had a true offseason in college football,” he said. “I feel like having a full offseason to fine tune some things and get better will help me step my game up the most.” He’s healthy now — and ready for more.The post With questions at quarterback, can LJ Martin be an answer for BYU’s offense? appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com