Damien Martinez one and done with Miami Hurricanes as running back declares for NFL Draft

Damien Martinez’s time with the Miami Hurricanes will officially only be one season.

The junior running back, who transferred to UM last offseason after spending his first two seasons at Oregon State, on Monday announced he will forego his final season of eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft.

In his announcement, posted on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account, Martinez thanked Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal and running backs coach Matt Merritt for “the opportunity to represent The U while pushing me to be my best and reach my goals in my college career.” He also thanked Oregon State for “believing in me from the start and molding me into the back I am today” in addition to God and his family.

“I am truly grateful to have crossed paths with every coach and player along my college journey,” Martinez’s post continues. “After long talks with my family & those closest to me I am excited to announce that I am declaring for the 2025 NFL draft.”

Martinez’s lone season with the Hurricanes was a successful one on a personal level. He split time with Mark Fletcher and still managed to rush for 1,002 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s the first UM player to hit both 1,000 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in the same season since Mark Walton in 2016.

He capped his Hurricanes career with a monster performance in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, rushing for a career-high 179 yards on 14 carries in the 42-41 Miami loss to Iowa State.

Over three seasons of college football, Martinez ran for 3,169 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Martinez is the seventh UM player to declare for the NFL Draft as of Monday night, joining wide receivers Xavier Restrepo, Sam Brown and Jacolby George, defensive back Daryl Porter Jr., offensive lineman Jalen Rivers and kicker Andres Borregales.

With Martinez departing for the draft and with two other running backs leaving UM via the transfer portal in Ajay Allen and Chris Johnson, Fletcher and Jordan Lyle are in line to be the workhorses for Miami next season. Fletcher ran for 607 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 5.42 yards per carry as a sophomore, while Lyle ran for 400 yards and four touchdowns on 54 carries as a true freshman.

Chris Wheatley-Humphrey and incoming freshman Girard Pringle will provide depth behind them.