Nikai Martinez
Nikai Martinez
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Two head coaches in four seasons, at two different programs. One game to point at: 10 tackles against Minnesota — Week 10, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Mel Tucker → Jonathan Smith. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Fitzgerald
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Michigan State | 24 | 17 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Michigan State | 51 | 30 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | UCF | 49 | 35 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | 3 | -- |
| 2022 | UCF | 17 | 14 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| Career | 141 | 96 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 4 | 5 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2025
W 41–24
vs Youngstown State
2 TOT · 1 SOLO
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Michigan State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Michigan State
Returning around him
- 2 Michigan State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -18 net (28 in / 46 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Michigan State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #38 · 2026 recruiting class #45
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Woodi Washington’s 2024 season.
Matches Woodi on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Cam Jeffery's senior season at Arkansas State (2024).
Matches Cam on
Background
Fifth-year safety enters his third season with the Spartans in 2026 . . . has played in 43 collegiate games the past four seasons (27 at UCF in 2022-23; 12 at MSU in 2024; four at MSU in 2025) . . . has collected 150 tackles in his career, including 5.5 tackles for loss (18 yards) and 1.0 sack (7...