MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State has added a major piece to its backfield heading into the 2025 season, officially signing running back Antonio Martin Jr. on Monday.
Martin arrives in Manhattan after a spring stint with ULM and a breakout 2024 season at Southeastern Louisiana, where he rushed for 1,228 yards and 11 touchdowns over 12 games (nine starts). His performance earned him First-Team All-Southland Conference honors and made him a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the top offensive player in the FCS.
A consistent force, Martin averaged 102.3 rushing yards per game, ranking 12th in the FCS, and also finished 14th in total rushing yards and 35th in all-purpose yards per game (108.5).
His standout moment came in a dominant showing against Tarleton State, where he exploded for 206 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries, earning Southland Offensive Player of the Week honors. That performance ranked as the 12th-highest single-game rushing total in the FCS last year. He also notched 100-yard games against Eastern Washington (149 yards), East Texas A&M (185 yards), and Northwestern State (110 yards).
Before his time at Southeastern Louisiana, Martin played at Blinn College in 2023, finishing 10th in the NJCAA with 80.4 rushing yards per game, including three 100-yard outings. He began his college career at Georgia Tech, redshirting in 2022.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Martin was a highly regarded high school recruit, ranked the No. 256 overall prospect in the Class of 2022 by ESPN and the 21st-best running back nationally. He earned first-team all-state honors after rushing for 1,114 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior at Langston Hughes High School.
Martin adds immediate experience and explosiveness to a Kansas State team that is looking to build on a 9-4 record in 2024, which marked the Wildcats’ third straight season with at least nine wins. K-State opens the 2025 campaign with a high-profile matchup against Iowa State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on August 23 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
