Senior defensive back on Michigan State's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 196 lb · Apopka, FL · Apopka
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
CB recruit
No. 356 nationally · Signed with UCF
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive back on Michigan State's 2026 roster.
Nikai Martinez
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Three head coaches in five seasons, at two different programs. One game to point at: 5 tackles against Eastern Michigan — Week 2, 2026.
10 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Mel Tucker, Jonathan Smith, and Pat Fitzgerald. Multi-era developmental context.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Michigan State | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 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 | 151 | 101 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 6 | 5 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 30-20vs Toledo | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-7vs Eastern Michigan | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 3 | L 10-27@ Notre Dame | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 30–20
vs Toledo
1 tackles · 1 solo tackles
With A. Milivojevic — 247 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 87.3 · -5 rush yds (6 car) · C. Mccray — 4 rush yds (1 car)
Since week 2: +1 pass breakup, +4 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: passes defended (92nd percentile). Concern: tackles (8th percentile).
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Fitzgerald
Pass share
39.4%
78 pass / 120 run
Plays / game
66.0
3 games
Team sack rate
10.1%
89 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
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
Player DNA
Fifth-year graduate 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....
18 more on the roster · Michigan State team page