Mike Gundy Compared Nick Martin to Former Cowboy, NFL Linebacker
A big staple in Bryan Nardo's 3-3-5 defensive scheme has been the trio of linebackers the Cowboys' defense hoists. Nick Martin has been a pleasant surprise of the three starting linebackers, though he's been accompanied by two other talented players in Collin Oliver and Xavier Benson.
Martin's season in particular has been incredible. He's strung together 120 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss and six sacks on the season, leading to him earning a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team.
It makes sense for Martin, who has incredible size, speed and tackling ability, making him a very well-rounded linebacker. Of course, being an incredible player at his position, he's been given comparisons to other great players at the position who have gone through Oklahoma State's program.
The most recent comparison was Malcolm Rodriguez, a linebacker who went from Oklahoma State to the pros, as he now plays with the Detroit Lions.
"He's got Malcolm Rodriguez numbers," Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy said of Martin.
In his final season with the Cowboys in 2021, Rodriguez tallied 129 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and three sacks with one interception. Martin's stats from this regular season are eerily similar, and it only took him 12 games to get similar total stats.
Comparing Martin's numbers to Rodriguez's is impressive, considering Rodriguez took a leap to the NFL after that season.
Coming into the season penciled in as a backup, Martin got expanded opportunity once injury struck. Of course, he made the most of it, which, not only secured his starting spot but helped him emerge as a star.
Martin returning next season could help him become a key part of the defense once again, one that could help the Cowboys back to the conference championship game again.
In the meantime, though, Martin must take care of business on Saturday as the Cowboys take on the Texas Longhorns for the Big 12 title. His ability to help stop the run will be incredibly important.
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Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022