Florida State has spent eight years waiting for a 1,000-yard rusher, and Kam Martin arrives in Tallahassee with a résumé that suggests he knows how to end that kind of drought.
The Seminoles’ running backs coach has already helped shape productive ground games at UCF and Incarnate Word, and now he steps into a backfield built around Ousmane Kromah and Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner. Martin has seen this movie before: take a group with talent, sharpen the details, and turn it into something much more dangerous.
His coaching path started at UCF in 2021 as an offensive assistant under Gus Malzahn, the same coach Martin played for at Auburn. That familiarity mattered, and the results showed up quickly. UCF averaged more than 196 rushing yards per game that season, finished No. 1 nationally in fourth down conversions at 85 percent, and went 9-4.
A year later, Martin was a position coach at Incarnate Word and the Cardinals’ run game took off. They piled up more than 3,200 rushing yards, ranked in the top ten in the FCS, scored 30 rushing touchdowns and finished with a school-record 12 wins. Senior back Marcus Cooper was a major part of that surge, running for 1,476 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Martin returned to UCF for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and RJ Harvey became the clearest example of what Martin can do with a back. Over those two years, Harvey rushed for 2,993 yards, scored 38 touchdowns and averaged six yards per carry.
He was a two-time Doak Walker Award semifinalist, earned first-team All-Big 12 honors and later became a second-round NFL Draft pick. UCF’s rushing numbers backed it all up, with the Knights finishing as a top-five rushing team in the FBS in both seasons at 228 yards per game in 2023 and 248 in 2024.
Now Martin gets his first shot in Tallahassee, where the stakes are simple: keep Florida State’s rushing attack humming and find the back who can break through that 1,000-yard barrier. On Tuesday, he’ll get another look at Kromah, Wisner and Sam Singleton in a team scrimmage.
“I feel like it's going to decide tomorrow,” Martin said of the first scrimmage. "These guys, they've got to go out there and run the ball and protect and do all of the little things of what it takes to be the guy.”
“And I'm excited to see it. I'm excited to see who's gonna break tackles, I'm excited to see who's gonna protect the ball, I'm excited to see who's gonna make game-changing plays. And I feel like these guys, they're willing to do it,” said Martin.
Kromah comes in after rushing for more than 400 yards last season without scoring a touchdown. Wisner had 597 rushing yards and three touchdowns after going over 1,000 yards in 2024. Both will need bigger numbers if Florida State is going to keep pushing forward on the ground.
That’s the assignment for Martin, who has built a reputation for turning promising runners into productive ones. Florida State’s offense already showed real muscle last season, leading the ACC and ranking No. 11 nationally with 218 rushing yards per game and 31 touchdowns. Martin’s job is to make sure that production doesn’t stall now.
In Other News...
Florida State Scrimmage Just Raised A Big Backfield Question
Florida States first fall scrimmage offered an early look at a backfield that still has a few jobs to sort out, and Sam Singleton made sure his name stayed in the conversation. With players competing for starting roles, the Seminoles are still piecing together how the rotation will settle, and the recent addition of Tre Wisner through the transfer portal only adds another layer to a group that has more options than certainties.
The staff now has to balance the push from returning talent with the flexibility that comes from bringing in another runner, while also keeping an eye on a roster picture shaped by eligibility changes and broader recruiting work. Duce Robinson has already landed on the Maxwell Award watchlist, and Florida State is staying active with 2028 quarterback Chandler Dyson, with Mike Norvell heavily involved, but the backfield remains the immediate question mark as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Is Getting Poll Love Fans May Not Trust
Florida State showed up in the 2026 preseason coaches poll with 13 voting points, which leaves it around No. 40 in the extended ranking and at least suggests some coaches think the Seminoles are worth watching again. For a fan base that has spent the last two seasons absorbing far more frustration than optimism, even a little poll attention can feel surprising, especially when it arrives after a stretch that included a 7-17 record and a long absence of road wins since late 2023.
There are reasons the nod is not hard to explain. The Seminoles have kept some key players in place and will lean on a new quarterback as they try to reset under Mike Norvell, which gives the roster a different look than the one that stumbled through the recent downturn. Still, the bigger question for Florida State is whether preseason respect means anything until the team starts proving it away from home, where the doubts have lingered and where trust will have to be earned all over again. [Read more 🡒]