The legends are growing. Ask your uncle about the fish he caught in the past. Every re-telling makes it larger. The legend about the would-be tackling king is different. Since he got to Troy, Carlton Martial has been getting smaller. He showed up on the roster as a small, undersized LB. He lost an inch. He lost two more after that. Martial was even smaller when he entered the conference room. According to the coaches, he is closer to 5-foot-8 than the average height of the top five inside linebackers. Everyone here is on the white lie, so there has been no investigation into the decline. The public relations staff was nice in the beginning. Martial was given a few inches in the media guide because they couldn't give him a scholarship. They inched closer to the truth after he got a scholarship. Martial became an All-American after winning a starting job and finishing second in tackles. The story of a 5-foot-9 former walk-on had a better ring to it because reporters took notice. It's not known why they haven't listed his true height. They might be tired of updating the roster. Maybe they think rounding up is a good idea. Whatever the case, the legend of Carlton Martial must begin with the truth, and it's this: Doubted and dismissed his entire life because of his size, Martial walked on at Troy where he's already a local legend and is poised to break through on the national stage as the With at least five games left to play, he needs 41 tackles to become the top tackler. The next game is South Alabama on Thursday. The program is on the Disney Channel. He cannot explain how Martial got here. He said that he was supposed to follow in his brother's footsteps and get a scholarship from Division- II North Alabama. His parents told him to stop spending money. On the eve of signing day, they put on several hats and gave their son some advice. They said you can either play it safe or bet on yourself. Q2 14:27 | HE DOES IT ALL!@Cmartial2 goes full tip drill for the interception and has an excellent return to set Troy up nicely.⚔️: 10 ⚪️: 7#RiseToBuild | #OneTROY ⚔️🏈 pic.twitter.com/7DodcLf8H3
The instructor at the school heard about Martial before he arrived. He was the leader of the class. He had a good family tree. He hit the lottery after taking a flyer on his brother. After returning a punt for a touchdown in his college debut, Philbert went on to become a two-time All-American.
Martial was a lead blocker on the kick return team. Ross can attest to the impact he made, even though he can't testify that Martial laid a hand on anyone.
Ross said that the team was starting to run the ball to the 50-yard line. The Carlton Martial Effect is what we call it. I was not sure. There is something about that child.
Martial became a starter after Ross took over as head coach. He racked up double-digit tackles almost every game. Reporters would ask about the statistics. The opposing coaches came up with the same numbers. Ross said that he would affect another 20 plays.
Martial was similar to Tyson at the point of attack. Ross told him to beware of 6-foot-4 linemen. He said that the men were adjusting their face masks after he knocked them off. You weren't anticipating that.
Ross thinks Martial is the greatest player he has ever coached. Martial's teammates have included a third-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, a player who played in the USFL, and a player who had a scholarship offer from a Football Bowl Subdivision school.
People around Mobile were able to trust what they saw in games. College coaches were not as easy to convince. Ross was unable to get most recruiters to listen to his story. The high-profile coaches who entertained the idea were already at Tolbert, Williams or Thompson, so why not?
Ross recalled that Charles Kelly came into his office and demanded to see Martial. Ross said that Kelly said he hadn't seen one like that before. That child is amazing. But then Kelly asked what he was. Ross could tell that Kelly was disappointed when he met Martial.
Ross said that Martial was loved by Malzahn and that he sent Williams to the school a lot.
Ross said Williams told him that if he was 5-11, they could offer him.
I'm sorry.
Williams told Ross that he could offer if he was 5-10.
Again, I'm sorry.
Martial was encouraged to try out by Williams three times.
Some SWAC schools offer martial scholarships. Big-time offers were not available. Group of 5 Troy was the only school that continued to show interest.
The current head coach of the USC football team was in charge of recruiting Thompson at the time. He made sure to check in on Martial when he visited.
The size of Martial didn't bother him. He said he keeps a hand-written list of the most important characteristics of a linebacker.
It's important to be tall in order to maintain leverage. Long arms help to bat down passes. Sam Mills was a five-time Pro Bowler. Some of the qualities he looks for are intuitions, awareness, and communication. It gets easier than that.
The most important job of the LB is to tackle the ball carrier. They don't give you more or less credit for being taller than you are.
Martial dominated during the playoffs his senior year. He thought Martial had 18 tackles. "Woah, this guys not just good, he's real good, that's when it became obvious," he said. He's the real thing. I hope nobody else sees what I'm seeing, that's what he thought.
Martial was torn between taking a risk and walking on at Troy or following his brother's lead and going to North Alabama. He decided after a fitful night's rest that he wasn't going to listen to his parent.
He thought he could make his own legacy. Troy would give me the best chance.
Martial had turned down calls from Division- II coaches. They were angry that he wouldn't play here.
They were angry. He is really good.
He felt the looks as soon as he arrived.
Martial was used to being asked if he was on the football team. They didn't confront him exactly. The coaches were not as diplomatic.
There were a couple guys on the staff that were not happy about it. This is the man?
He said he was.
He said they were like, "Come on man, really?"
He shook his head and did not say a word.
He told them to just wait.
The College Football Playoff chase will be affected by Saturday's games. The odds for the top four. The answers can be found in the playoff Predictor. The odds are updated after each game.
The first year at Troy was hard for Martial. He lost the baby fat that caused him to be referred to as a little dumpy. He had to learn that instinct wasn't going to cut it.
The first few weeks were filled with doubts. He wasn't getting the reps he wanted and he wasn't getting the outcome he wanted as well. He wasn't going to play for the team that first year. He wondered what he was doing there.
He talked to his brother who encouraged him to remember why he loved the sport.
Don't worry about the doubters. The people who believed in him were Martial's thoughts.
He earned a scholarship after doing his job on the scout team. Martial led the Sun Belt rookies in tackles and tackles for loss.
As Martial went on to average 122 tackles over the next three seasons, he resisted the urge to brag.
In November of last year, Troy fired head coach Chip Lindsey. The person was the athletic director. After Lindsey was let go, Sumrall was hired as the new head coach and immediately began recruiting.
Five early signees were crucial. The former walk-on had to convince to stay, even though none of them mattered.
Martial went from recruiting a player he liked but couldn't offer a scholarship to his top priority as a first-time head coach.
Don't get emotional. Martial didn't enter the transfer portal, but that doesn't mean he wasn't being recruited. He was a leader on a team going through a change. It's a recipe for messing with the game.
Martial admits that there were people in his ear asking if he wanted to go somewhere else. When he says he's certain of Power 5 programs reaching out to Martial, he's less nuanced.
If Martial wanted to step up a level in competition then who could blame him. When he went to Kentucky, he did the same thing.
There were a couple teams in the league that bothered me.
He told the PR assistant that he probably shouldn't throw anyone under the bus. He went on the gas.
He paused for a moment before saying that one of them was in our state.
The only other team from Alabama is in the Sun Belt. You can connect the dots.
And I'm not sure? The person said, "sumrall." The people that did not recruit him out of high school are reaching out now. I might say, "Hey, stay off my child."
The process of re-recruiting Martial began with the help of a former Kentucky analyst and an assistant to an NBA team. "You're in good hands," said Manusky in his message to Martial.
Martial was called on his behalf by a number of other football coaches. Martial kept the person waiting. It felt like it could go either way after talking with Martial.
The extra year of eligibility all players received during the 2020 season allowed Martial to return for his final season.
People asked me why I didn't leave. Martial said you had all these opportunities. I wanted to stay loyal to the people who gave me my chance. I could see what I had. There was something to build.
Martial felt he hadn't done his part to uphold the standard as Troy stumbled to a sub-.500 record. Martial decided to speak up instead of following in the footsteps of others.
The program is back on track according to the seven games the team has played. Troy is close to taking the lead in the Sun Belt West division.
Martial missed the last-second loss to Appalachian State with a lower-body injury, but he came back the following week and made 18 tackles. He attacked his first game back with a photo of his helmet.
17 tackles later ... here is Carlton Martial's helmet 😳 https://t.co/nXLh07W6Pp pic.twitter.com/dgv8uCF6gd
— Troy Trojan🚫 Football ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️ (@TroyTrojansFB) September 25, 2022
He's making over 10 tackles a game. He will need only four more games to break the FBS record for career tackles if he keeps up his current pace. There is a chance that Troy will play in as many as seven more games this year.
Time will tell what happens after that.
Some people didn't think he was a good fit for them because we saw something in him that made him a good fit here. He may not be pursued by every football team. He will get an opportunity. What do you think will happen from there? You can't know.
It would be an injustice to the game if someone didn't give him a chance.
Martial may end up in an NFL training camp, according to Ross, who is on staff at Troy. Maybe he goes to the Canadian Football League and leads the league in tackles.
Ross would like to make a bigger point.
He said thatCarlton's legacy is going to be bigger than that. Tell me the best player to ever play here.
Ware came to Troy on a full scholarship, even though he was 6 feet 4.
Martial went from a walk-on to this in the blink of an eye.
It's amazing.
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