Damien Martinez recalls grandma’s great breakfast tacos

INDIANAPOLIS – With a knack for punishing defenders and breaking tackles, Damien Martinez became a standout for Oregon State and the Miami Hurricanes. His journey began in Lewisville, Texas, in a home filled with his mother and grandmother’s Mexican cooking.

His foundation was built on love and sacrifice in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Breakfast tacos and tacos in general were an early staple of his diet at his grandma’s home. Now he’s a top running back prospect in this year’s NFL Draft. 

“Like every other Mexican family, (we had) great food all the time growing up and especially being with my grandparents all the time,” Martinez said to Danny Enriquez of Storm Sessions. “In the morning my grandma would make some good breakfast tacos.

“And I don’t know why I would just love eating them throughout the day too, so I would just have her make me tacos all the time.”

When asked at the NFL Combine if he ever dealt with the infamous “chancla,” Martinez laughed. He even joked about benefitting from trying to dodge the renowned sandal toss discipline made famous by Mexican moms and grandma’s on both sides of the border.

Lewisville pride

The warmth Martinez had in his household wasn’t just from the food. It was also from the support of his family for his football dream. His family was always talking about football. He remains grateful for the sacrifices his mom and grandparents made to help get him to all his football practices and games.

Lewisville is where Martinez’s journey began. It taught him that the game’s depth goes beyond the physicality. He describes football early as an escape from everything going on in life.

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Martinez loved how football usually helped him take his mind away from everything when he was growing up. He rushed for 4,341 yards and 66 touchdowns at Lewisville High, but most major programs passed on him.

Martinez was disappointed by the lack of Division I offers. His faith kept him optimistic. He proved to be a severely underrated prospect as a 3-star recruit. He signed with Oregon State and made an immediate impact.

Damien Martinez starred at Oregon State

“I guess maybe I was frustrated at first,” he says. “But now thinking about it, I guess at the moment I was taking it one day at a time knowing I was doing what I was doing, ramping up 2,000 yards my junior year and just kept my head down.

“God had a plan for me. And that’s really when I got closer to God too, my junior year after my sophomore year. So things played out how they did and I trusted in Him, and now I am here.”

Martinez proved himself in his first two seasons at Oregon State. He was the 2022 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a First-Team All-Pac-12 selection. Martinez transferred to Miami to start his junior year. He adapted to a new offensive scheme while flashing the pass-catching ability he honed at Oregon State. 

Martinez shrugs off those who claimed his transfer to Miami was a money decision. He is adamant that his transfer wasn’t about Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money. Instead, Martinez said the Hurricanes provided him the platform to highlight what he needed to show scouts.

“The best place I thought I could do it was here (at Miami) and not there,” he said. “That’s how I decided to enter the portal.”

Miami platform was key

Martinez finished his career at Miami with 159 carries while rushing for 1,002 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. He showed his ability to catch the ball with 17 receptions for 204 yards. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Martinez highlighted his versatility by discussing the different offensive schemes he’s been a part of.

“Obviously a whole new scheme just being able to show my pass-catching ability and the pass-protection being more under center in Oregon State,” Martinez said. “More Shotgun Spread at Miami, yeah, that’s really about it. A whole different scheme just being able to do that.”

Martinez ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash on his second attempt with a 1.56-second 10-yard split. Having lost weight for the NFL Combine, Martinez recorded a 40-yard dash time, placing him 15th among 24 participating running backs.

Projected as a fifth-round pick with starter potential, Martinez fits the style for teams like the Steelers, Vikings, Saints, Dolphins, and Bengals. Those teams are all seeking a running back with his versatility. The All-ACC honorable mention aims to further enhance his draft stock at Miami’s Pro Day on March 26.