Meet the Leading Lions: Josh Martin

Backstory

Late developing recruit came to football a lot later than most college players and didn't really play team ball until high school. The University of Wyoming believed they had a prospect with massive under-the-radar upside and signed him in late 2008. But Martin later had a change of heart and switched his commitment to Columbia.


Year-by-Year Highlights

2009

Martin did not break onto the field with the varsity in his freshman year of 2009, something that would have been hard to do with guys like Lou Miller, Matt Bashaw and Josh Smith dominating the defensive end position.

2010

But in 2010, he burst on the scene early making a big impact starting in week 2 against Towson where it appeared he was getting into the Tiger backfield on every play.

Martin finished his sophomore season with 27 total tackles and four sacks, but he made 2nd Team All Ivy because his stats were misleading. He was a menacing force almost every week.

2011

Moved to linebacker officially, but essentially played the same position.

Stats improved exponentially to 63 total tackles and seven sacks.

Made 2nd Team All Ivy again, but was clearly a casualty of the Lions 1-9 record as most coaches overlooked him for 1st Team honors.


5 Best Games

5) In his first varsity game against Fordham in 2010 ended with four tackles including a sack for a six yard loss on Ram QB Blake Wayne. Helped Columbia's defense throttle Fordham for most of the game in a 16-9 loss.

4) In the week 6 Homecoming game against Dartmouth in 2010, Martin made not one but two crucial fumble recoveries to help Columbia rally from a late 17-7 deficit to a 21-17 lead. But the Big Green drove down the field for a final TD to ruin to day in a 24-21 loss.

3) Martin had seven total tackles with two tackles for a loss in the 2011 season finale, double OT thriller win over Brown.

2) In his second career varsity game against Towson in 2010, Martin harassed the Tigers all day recording six tackles including two sacks and drawing a handful of holding and false start penalties. Martin helped hold Towson to just 87 net yards rushing in the 24-10 Columbia win.

1) Martin's best game was against eventual league champion Harvard in week 8 of 2011. Against the vaunted Crimson offensive line, he had 10 total tackles, two sacks, another tackle for a loss and one forced fumble.


Scouting Report

-Gets off the line extremely quickly and can be very menacing rushing the passer from the outside.

-Draws doubles teams and can sometimes be shut down while providing mismatches for his teammates.

-Needs to be a bit more consistent and get a little more help from his teammates at the tackle positions to truly stand out in his final season.