Michigan State gains commitment from former UCF safety Nikai Martinez
Michigan State bolstered its secondary on Friday with the commitment of transfer portal safety Nikai Martinez, a 13-game starter in secondary last season.
A 5-foot-11 safety, Martinez tied for the team lead in interceptions at UCF last season and ranked fifth among UCF defensive players with 54 tackles.
Martinez is one of five transfer portal defensive backs added by Michigan State since the end of spring football. He is the second portal safety addition for the Spartans, who brought Aveon Grose in mid-year. Grose was brought in as a non-scholarship player. The Spartans also added Legond Cavazos (North Carolina) and Ed Woods (Arizona State) as transfer portal acquisitions at corner.
Cavazos and Woods are expected compete for starting jobs at corner. Martinez, meanwhile, addresses a critical need at safety for Michigan State, which lacks depth at the position after the departure of starter Jaden Mangham. With Martinez in the program, the Spartans have four experienced safeties rostered along with Dillon Tatum and Malik Spencer and Armorion Smith.
Smith, a Cincinnati transfer, was in the playing group for the Spartans last season prior to a season-ending injury. Smith did not participate during spring football, but is expected to compete for playing time this fall.
Martinez, who signed with UCF as a three-star prospect ranked just outside the Top 50 in Florida in the On3 Industry Rankings as a high school senior at Apopka High in the Class of 2021. Martinez was ranked No. 79 in Florida by On3, when signed with UCF.
Martinez listed offers from UCF, Georgia, South Carolina, Notre Dame, and Clemson prior to his senior year at Apopka. An injury suffered as a senior prevented Martinez from having the monster senior season many expected from him. After missing most of his senior season with an injury, Martinez returned to the starting lineup in time for the playoffs. His high school team went 12-1 and finished ranked No. 6 in Florida.
Martinez entered the transfer portal in mid-April. Had he stayed at UCF, he would have been a second-year starter, and an anchor in the secondary for the Big XII program.
Martinez broke into the playing group in the defensive backfield as a true freshman in 2022. He played 12 games as a freshman, totaling 21 tackles and multiple pass break-ups in two games. He also recorded a sack in his college debut.
During his two seasons at UCF, Martinez also earned a reputation as a standout on special teams. He was tabbed as an all-conference pick as a special teams player by at least one preseason publication prior to his final season at UCF.
With the commitment of Martinez, Michigan State has now added 20 players from the transfer portal during the 2024 recruiting cycle.
