Damien Martinez inks NIL deal with Miami-driven NIL collective Canes Connection

Damien Martinez was one of the surprise entries of the spring transfer portal window.

The Oregon State running back stayed with the Beavers throughout the busy winter window but decided to test the market in the spring. The first-team All-Pac-12 selection rushed for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023. While Martinez did visit Arizona and Mississippi State, Miami was always the clear leader in his portal recruitment.

The Hurricanes made two in-home visits and closed out his slew of portal visits in Coral Gables. Now enrolled and preparing for the season with Miami, the 6-foot, 232-pound running back has inked an NIL deal with the Canes Connection NIL collective.

The collective was launched in August 2022 and is operated by co-CEOs Zach Burr and Brian Goldmeier, who are fundraising professionals with more than 30 years of experience running business development firms in the Miami-Dade area. The collective has set a goal of raising $10 million annually. 

 As of this past summer, roughly 75 of the 85 scholarship football players were under contract along with the entire Miami men’s basketball team. Miami football has one of the top payrolls in college football, competing with Texas, Oregon and Ohio State. Martinez wasn’t the only key spring portal pickup. The Hurricanes also landed EDGE Tyler Baron and wide receiver Sam Brown.

Landing Martinez was a key win for Miami, which lost three running backs this offseason. With two years of eligibility remaining, the Oregon State transfer will be a key piece of the future for the Hurricanes. In a video released to launch the partnership with the new Miami starting running back, Martinez broke down how excited he is to play with quarterback Cam Ward.

“I didn’t get a chance to play with Cam, it’s going to be special, you know,” he said. “Playing against him from the sideline, it’s going to be crazy to see what we can both do from the backfield. I think the running back room is in a great spot. We got me and Mark as big backs and a change of pace with Chris and the other guys. It’s just going to be hard to stop all of us.”

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NIL has become crucial in retaining talent and attracting top portal players. Martinez was slated to make $400,000 in the 2024 season at Oregon State through the Dam Nation Collective, ESPN previously reported.

With more than 10,000 social media followers, Damien Martinez will continue to see his platform grow with the backing of the Miami brand.