Carlton Martial
| Troy Trojans – No. 2 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 11, 1999 Mobile, Alabama, US |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | McGill-Toolen (AL) |
Carlton Anthony Martial (born April 11, 1999) is an American college football linebacker for the Troy Trojans. He began his season as a walk-on and was selected as a freshman All-American in 2018. He was also a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy in 2021.
Early years
Martial was born in 1999, the son of football coach Philbert Martial.[1][2] He began playing football at age three with his father's team, the Cottage Hill Steelers.[3] He played at the quarterback, cornerback, and running back positions as a youth player and also played basketball.[3] He attended McGill–Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Alabama. He played football at the linebacker position in high school, helping the team to back-to-back state title games,[2] tallying 197 tackles as a junior and 120 tackles as a senior.[3] At five feet, nine inches, he was regarded as small and did not receive any Division I FBS scholarship offers.[4] He had offers from Alabama A&M, North Alabama, Jackson State, and Alcorn State, and preferred walk-on offers from Troy and Auburn.[3]
Troy University
Walk-on
Martial enrolled at Troy University in Troy, Alabama, in 2017 as a preferred walk-on player.[3][5] He redshirted in 2017 and played at the middle linebacker position as a redshirt freshman in 2018.[1]
2018 season: Freshman All-America honors
In August 2018, The Montgomery Advertiser credited Martial for "working his butt off," resulting in a "meteoric rise ... from walk-on chum in practice and in-game towel-waving sideline crazy man to playing a key role."[6] He tallied 76 tackles and helped the 2018 Troy Trojans to a 10–3 record and a victory in the Dollar General Bowl.[1][7] He was also selected as a freshman All-American by USA Today and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).[1][8]
2019 season
As a redshirt sophomore in 2019, Martial led the team with 126 tackles.[1] He was the first Troy player to tally over 100 tackles in eight years. Against Texas State on November 16, he had two one-handed interceptions, one of which he returned 64 yards for a touchdown with eight seconds remaining in the game.[9]
2020 season
As a redshirt junior in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Martial was selected as a first-team pre-season All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.[3] He led the country with 113 tackles.[1] He was the first Troy player since 2002 to register over 100 tackles in consecutive seasons.[2] He also tallied a career-high 21 tackles, a sack and an interception against No. 11 Coastal Carolina.[2]
2021 season
In 2021, Martial retained his junior status, as the 2020 season did not alter his status.[1] He was selected in August 2021 as the Sun Belt Conference preseason Defensive Player of the Year.[10] In November 2021, he was also selected as a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy awarded each year to the most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on.[4]
2022 season
In January 2022, having another year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID year, Martial announced that he would return to try for a fifth season.[11] He began the 2022 season needing 104 tackles to break the all-time NCAA Division I FBS record for most tackles in a career.[12][13] On November 12, 2022, he had his 546th tackle to break the prior record of 545 tackles set by Tim McGarigle of Northwestern.[14][15]
College statistics
| Season | Games | Solo tackles | Assists | Total tackles | Tackles for loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 12 | 33 | 43 | 76 | 9.0 |
| 2019 | 12 | 70 | 57 | 127 | 18.5 |
| 2020 | 11 | 54 | 60 | 114 | 10.0 |
| 2021 | 12 | 44 | 82 | 126 | 10.0 |
| 2022 | 10 | 46 | 66 | 112 | 3.0 |
| Total | 57 | 247 | 308 | 555 | 50.5 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Carlton Martial". Troy University. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Nick Alvarez (December 16, 2020). "Carlton Martial leads Troy defense in junior season". The Montgomery Advertiser. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Andre Toran (June 24, 2020). "Award won't slow Martial's pursuits". The Montgomery Advertiser. pp. 1B, 3B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Sutton Smith (November 19, 2021). "Troy football's Carlton Martial named finalist for Burlsworth Award". The Montgomery Advertiser – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tim Buckley (August 6, 2021). "How Troy linebacker Carlton Martial went from walk-on to Sun Belt Conference star". The Montgomery Advertiser.
- ^ A. Stacy Long (August 28, 2018). "Martial law: Ex-walk-on may start at LB for Troy". The Montgomery Advertiser. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "2018 Troy Trojans Football Schedule". Troy University. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ "Lawrence leads freshman All-American". The South Bend Tribune. December 13, 2018. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ A. Stacy Long (November 23, 2019). "Already defensive star, might Troy's Martial try offense?". The Montgomery Advertiser. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tim Buckley (August 6, 2021). "Troy's Martial proves his doubters wrong". The Montgomery Advertiser. pp. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Maxwell Donaldson (January 4, 2022). "Troy football's Burlsworth finalist Carlton Martial to return for another season". Montgomery Advertiser.
- ^ "Carlton Martial". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "As Troy linebacker Carlton Martial approaches the tackles record in college football his legend shrinks". ESPN.com. November 9, 2022.
- ^ "Martial breaks tackles record; Troy rallies for victory". Dothan Eagle. November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Troy LB Carlton Martial sets NCAA record for career tackles". ESPN.com. November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Carlton Martial". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2022.