Most Crucial Jayhawks: No. 12 – OL Damon Martin

By Matt Tait     Jul 17, 2014

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Kansas offensive lineman Aslam Sterling (77) and Damon Martin (73) bemoan a missed first down attempt by the Jayhawks against Iowa State during the second quarter on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.

Here’s the latest installment in our series that examines the Jayhawks who stand to have the biggest impact for KU football this fall.

No. 12: Damon Martin, Junior OL
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After cruising through a couple of seasons as an under-the-radar talent with tremendous potential, the time has arrived for Martin to become the man.

With so many older, more established lineman playing ahead of him during the past couple of years, it’s easy to see how Martin could have just blended in. He had some good moments, started a few games and always was one the coaching staff pointed to as a guy who could become a player. If he’s able to do that this year, it will do wonders for the Jayhawks’ offenseive line as a whole.

Up until the arrival of spring ball, Martin had spent his career playing guard. However, with the KU O-Line facing a more pressing need at the tackle positions, Martin was bounced outside and spent the entire spring playing right tackle.

Seems like a good fit to me. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Arlington, Texas native is definitely big enough and strong enough to handle edge rushers. And we’ve talked for a while about how he always seemed to have the kind of build that lent itself to being good with his feet. While those three factors are crucial for tackles, Martin is still learning a new position and there’s no question there could be growing pains.

There are a couple of reasons to believe Martin will succeed at his new spot. First, he’s comfortable on the right side already, having started the final four games of 2013 at right guard. Second, he’s not going to be overwhelmed when he gets out there because he’s seen it all before. His first career start came at Oklahoma in 2012 and he has played in 13 games during the past two seasons, the natural progression for a guy who red-shirted in 2011.

Getting a jump on the shift from guard to tackle in the spring surely helped, but how well Martin handles his new role remains one of the bigger questions and more important factors in determining just how successful the Jayhawks will be this fall.

**Top 25 Most Crucial Jayhawks for 2014:**

No. 25 – LB Jake Love

No. 24 – DB Greg Allen

No. 23 – DB Cassius Sendish

No. 22 – OL Zach Fondal

No. 21 – WR Justin McCay

No. 20 – DL Ben Goodman

No. 19 – K John Duvic

No. 18 – DB JaCorey Shepherd

No. 17 – DB Isaiah Johnson

No. 16 – TE Jimmay Mundine

No. 15 – DB Dexter McDonald

No. 14 – RB Brandon Bourbon

No. 13 – OL Keyon Haughton

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.