LJ Martin enters 2026 carrying more than the ball for BYU. He carries the weight of the Cougars’ hopes, the shadow of the records set by the backs who came before him, and the expectation that he can be the engine behind a playoff push.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior from El Paso, Texas first learned about BYU by watching Tyler Allgeier highlights on ESPN. Now he’s chasing the kind of production that made those Cougar legends the standard. Martin is already the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and he lands at No. 19 on the list of college football’s 25 most important players in 2026.
Last season, Martin was as productive as any back in the conference. He ran for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns on 5.5 yards per carry, while adding 36 receptions for 255 yards.
He finished with the most rushing yards in the Big 12, even though a shoulder injury knocked him out of the Iowa State game on Oct. 25 and surgery after the Big 12 championship game forced him to miss the Pop-Tarts Bowl. In other words, he spent most of the year banged up and still outgained every other runner in the league.
BYU leaned on him heavily, and that workload was headed toward historic territory. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick used Martin more than nearly any back in program history, and he was on pace to top the school’s single-season carry record of 276 set by Tyler Allgeier in 2021.
That kind of durability is a big deal now because the Cougars are aiming higher. BYU is carrying real Big 12 title and College Football Playoff aspirations after last season’s 34-7 loss to Texas Tech in the conference championship game kept them out of the playoff picture.
Martin’s place in the school record book is already significant. He sits ninth on BYU’s all-time rushing list with 2,541 career yards, and he’s within striking distance of Taysom Hill, Allgeier and all-time leader Jamaal Williams, who is 1,361 yards ahead. To finish as the program’s career rushing leader, Martin would need to average 113.4 rushing yards per regular-season game.
The schedule also gives him a real shot to keep piling up numbers. BYU will face four teams that finished in the bottom five in Big 12 run defense: Cincinnati, Kansas, Utah and Baylor.
There’s optimism on the health front, too. Martin sat out contact drills during spring practice, but he is expected to be a full go by fall camp.
He and sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier have become the focal points of Kalani Sitake’s roster. That was clear at Big 12 media days, where the two drew the most attention among the six BYU players in attendance. The Cougars are entering their fourth season in the league with expectations as high as they’ve been in years.
The conference coaches have taken notice as well. Big 12 coaches voted Martin the preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and he was one of six BYU players named to the all-conference preseason team.
If Martin stays healthy and BYU’s oversized offensive line keeps opening lanes, the Cougars can lean into the physical identity that fits him best. And if he keeps producing at last season’s level while helping BYU reach the College Football Playoff, the first-team All-Big 12 back could push himself into the Heisman conversation.
BYU opens the 2026 season at home against Utah Tech on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET, then jumps straight into conference play the following week with a home game against Arizona.
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