Report: Oregon State RB Damien Martinez turned down $400k in NIL money to transfer

It was reported Tuesday that Oregon State running back Damien Martinez intends to enter the transfer portal, and he apparently turned down a big pay day to do so. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Martinez was slated to make $400,000 in NIL money had he returned to Corvallis for a third season.

It will be interesting to see whether the running back is able to match that value or perhaps even surpass it elsewhere. He finished this past season with 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns to earn first team All-Pac-12 honors.

The portal is not officially open until April 16, but Martinez has already informed the coaching staff of his decision to transfer, per Thamel. He will leave the Beavers with Jam Griffin and Anthony Hankerson in the backfield.

Oregon State is coming off of an 8-5 season and is set to play a schedule consisting of mostly Mountain West teams in 2024 thanks to the Pac-12 falling apart as a result of conference realignment.

Jonathan Smith left Oregon State in favor of the Michigan State coaching job this offseason. Multiple Beavers have followed their head coach to East Lansing, most notably quarterback Aidan Chiles.

Martinez played high school football at Lewisville (TX) High School, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 615 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining wherever he decides to play.

Damien Martinez had some off-field issues this season

There has been some off-field news surrounding Martinez in recent months. Back in late November, he was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants. A citation was also written for being a minor in possession of marijuana.

“Made a mistake, I am fine, I WAS FINE, I’ll be fine,” Martinez said on social media following his arrest.

Due to the arrest, Oregon State suspended Martinez for the bowl game against Notre Dame.

Martinez was also noted for “reckless driving and reckless endangerment,” after running a red light, which prompted the police to pull Martinez’s vehicle over, and was also, “cited for being a minor in possession of marijuana,” according to Corvallis police, via a report from OregonLive.com

The incident happened on Northwest 2nd Street and Northwest Van Buren Avenue at around 11:40 p.m. local time on Wednesday night. The police found “freshly burned marijuana,” inside the vehicle.