Healthy and hungry, LJ Martin stands ready to lead BYU offense in 2025 as new QB develops

One of five players who represented BYU at the Big 12 football media days earlier this month, running back LJ Martin broke out of his shell in many ways at the event in Frisco, Texas.

Known to teammates and reporters alike as one of the most reserved, quiet and contemplative players on the roster, Martin emerged at The Star, home of the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility, as a well-spoken, outgoing and talkative participant in the dozens of interviews he was asked to give.

Even head coach Kalani Sitake noticed, saying that when Martin entered the program a couple years ago “it was a stretch for him to say two words.” Now the 6-foot-2, 220-pound native of El Paso, Texas, speaks confidently and forcefully about himself, the program, and how the Cougars’ offense will move on without its 2024 leader, quarterback Jake Retzlaff.

“Now he’s out here (representing his teammates),” Sitake said. “It’s cool, because I’ve been listening to him and I am like, ‘Wow, he’s finding his voice, and that’s really cool.’ It’s helping him personally … He has grown into an impressive young man.”

Martin has grown into his role as a key cog in BYU’s offense the past two years, having rushed for 518 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman in 2023 and 718 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore in 2024.

Martin’s first name is John, which is also his father’s first name. John Martin played basketball at Western New Mexico and LJ’s mother, Genevieve, played softball at the same school.

The rising junior was called “Little John” as a youngster, and that eventually morphed into “LJ” — the name he goes by now.

Having earned offensive MVP honors after leading BYU to a 38-14 win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl last December, Martin is hesitant to discuss his personal goals for 2025. That’s just not his style. However, when pressed, he acknowledged it would be “nice” to reach the 1,000-yard rushing plateau, but his more immediate plans are to help the Cougars “win every game” this season.

“Of course I want to get as many yards as possible,” he said. “But with football, you don’t always get all the carries and things happen that are out of your control. I just want to see us win football games.”

Martin also wants to stay healthy for all 12 games in 2025, something he hasn’t been able to do his first two seasons in Provo. He’s battled shoulder and lower leg injuries since coming out of El Paso’s Canutillo High as a three-star prospect who originally committed to Stanford.

As a high school senior, he ran for 2,137 yards and 23 touchdowns and led the Eagles to the Texas 5A Division II regional semifinals.

Totally healthy and hungry

Martin said on July 8 that he is “100 percent healthy” after missing all or parts of four games last year due to injury. He was less than that when the season opened last year, but still started and rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown in the 41-13 win over Southern Illinois.

He sustained a lower leg injury the following week, against SMU.

“I’ve never felt like I had a true offseason in college football (because of the injuries),” he said. “I feel like having a full offseason (this summer) to fine tune some things and get better will help me step my game up the most.”

Sitake said what he wants most out of Martin is for him to “protect the football from the beginning” and to develop as a blocker in pass protection. That will be especially important now that it is clear that Retzlaff is gone and either McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet or Bear Bachmeier will be under center in the opener on Aug. 30 against Portland State. Retzlaff confirmed Monday via social media that he is walking on at Tulane for his final season of eligibility.

“I am not worried about personal accolades for LJ. I think if he does things right, good stuff will happen for him,” Sitake said. “I think LJ will tell you the same thing — that if he just does all the little things right, that good things can happen. But I’m not gonna put any pressure on him to do that.”

Firm grasp of the playbook in third season

Sitake said having continuity on his coaching staff with offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick and running backs coach Harvey Unga will help Martin and some of the other running backs — Sione Moa, Pokaia Haunga and Enoch Nawahine — immensely.

“I think the game of football is becoming a lot easier for LJ now that he’s been in the same system, and I’m really looking forward to the fact that he’s so big and he can run. That helps him out, too,” Sitake said. “But we can’t just think that he’s going to be able to do it all by himself. We have a core of running backs that we feel like can really help.”

Martin confirmed that he now knows Roderick’s playbook inside and out, after struggling with it his first year.

“My knowledge of the playbook is a lot deeper this year. I feel like I know what I am doing, I know what the O line is doing. I know what everyone is doing compared to last year. There were times last year when I wasn’t sure what the O line was doing. The year before, shoot, I just only knew what I was doing,” he said. “I didn’t know the signals. I was just trying to get the play call. I feel like it has grown a lot and allowed me to play a lot more freely and get as much out of it as I can.”

As far as this offseason goes, Martin said Roderick challenged him to take advantage of BYU’s upgraded weight room to get bigger, faster and stronger.

“He challenged me to continue to improve and continue to have a great work ethic. I feel like that’s something I’ve taken and ran with as I try to get stronger and faster,” Martin said. “I have been able to see the times and measurements and things like that improve. He asked me to improve to be able to help out the team in any way I can, as a pass blocker, a runner, pass catcher. Just everything.”