Candidate Tier: Mac-tastic

Who Is He?

A lifetime assistant coach that had immense success at FCS Grand Valley State, and is currently in his third year as head coach at Miami (Ohio).

Martin worked his way up in a very traditional manner, getting early shots at schools like Wittenberg, Mankato State, and Millikin (his alma mater), as well as a long stint at Islenberg. Ok, that last one was made up, but the rest are apparently real schools.

His big break was at Grand Valley State, where he spent four years on the staff as a defensive assistant before taking over head coaching duties from some dude named Brian Kelly. Martin won DII National Championships in 2005 and 2006 (two and three years after Kelly was gone), set a winning streak record with 40 straight, and went far in the DII tournament in 07, 08, and 09 before leaving to be a lead assistant on Brian Kelly’s staff at Notre Dame. Martin was the OC of Kelly’s undefeated 2012 ND team, leading him to land the Miami of Ohio gig.

Why would he be successful at Purdue?

There’s something to be said for establishing a winning culture, even at the DII level, and Martin has absolutely proven himself there. He’s got two more rings than Purdue has, that’s for sure. #ringzzz

He’s also spent the entirety of his career in the Midwest, and undoubtedly knows the recruiting terrain extremely well. The Notre Dame connection should speak loudly to AD Mike Bobinski, and that 2012 ND offense was extremely impressive.

Why could he flop at Purdue?

His first shot as a D1 head coach isn’t going too well. Martin took over for the lackluster Don Treadwell, who went 4-8, 4-8, and 0-12 prior to Martin’s arrival. Martin has won 2 and 3 games in his first two seasons at Miami OH, and is currently 1-6 (with his only win over…yup, Kent State).

To be completely fair, it’s looking more and more like Martin’s cupboard was completely barren before arriving at Miami. But he’s going to need a turnaround soon.

Would he come to Purdue?

Absolutely. It probably would have been a better career move for Martin to stay at Notre Dame and take a better head coaching job, highlighting the importance of job selection when you have a cushy coordinator job at a high-exposure school. Martin would have absolutely fit the Bobinski mold had he stayed at ND, but given his lack of success at Miami I can’t see Purdue giving him more than a passing glance.