EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith revealed on Monday that senior free safety Nikai Martinez has been sidelined with an injury and is questionable for the Spartans’ season opener on Aug. 29 against Western Michigan. Martinez (5-11, 191, Sr., Apopka, Fla.) started all 12 games at free safety for Michigan State last year after transferring from Central Florida. “Nakai, potentially game one, might be out, we'll see where that goes,” Smith said after Monday’s practice, no
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith revealed on Monday that senior free safety Nikai Martinez has been sidelined with an injury and is questionable for the Spartans’ season opener on Aug. 29 against Western Michigan.
Martinez (5-11, 191, Sr., Apopka, Fla.) started all 12 games at free safety for Michigan State last year after transferring from Central Florida.
“Nakai, potentially game one, might be out, we’ll see where that goes,” Smith said after Monday’s practice, not expanding further on the situation.
Martinez ranked No. 3 on the team in tackles last year with 51 and tied for second on the team with two interceptions.
COMP’S TAKE:
This injury isn’t something that developed over the weekend or even during preseason camp. Martinez has been out for the entirety of preseason camp and has been recovering from an undisclosed ailment throughout the summer. Michigan State coaches knew, coming out of spring practice, that Martinez would be doubtful for the season opener and possibly part of September. That’s part of the reason why Michigan State hit the transfer portal for three safeties following spring practice.
Martinez and fellow senior Malik Spencer are expected to give the Spartans an experienced tandem at the safety positions, after the two became acclimated with one another last season. Martinez’s injury hampers the unit as a potential strength for the season. However, when Martinez returns, his wheels should be fine.
Meanwhile, other safeties have been tangled in a competition for the starting free safety job in Martinez’s absence.
Justin Denson has been a top contender for that role throughout preseason camp. Armorion Smith has joined him in vying for that role.
“Denson’s around it, Armorion’s around it, and then we’ve got a bunch getting turns,” Smith said.
Denson played in eight games as a true freshman last year, logging 159 snaps. He played a season-high 50 snaps in the season finale against Rutgers. He began that game as a back-up to Jaylen Thompson, who was subbing for the injured Spencer. But Thompson ended up playing only 20 snaps after a mid-game miscue, and Denson finished the season as the playing-group strong safety.
Denson (6-2, 198, Soph., Providence, R.I.) is a big safety. He backed up Spencer and Jaylen Thompson last year on the strong/boundary side. In Martinez absence, Denson has moved from boundary safety to field safety. It remains to be seen how they line up for Western Michigan week. Thompson transferred to Memphis after spring practice.
As for Armorion Smith (6-1, 217, R-Sr., Detroit), he struggled last year as a reserve. He saw action in four games on defense, and seven games overall. He played strong safety against Prairie View A&M, Boston College and Oregon. He played free safety against Ohio State.
Smith has been competing with Denson at field safety during camp.
Smith dealt with the passing of his mother due to a lengthy illness last season, and also focused on becoming the legal guardians of his younger siblings, who moved in with him in the Lansing area. Smith’s struggles on the field were certainly understandable.
Honestly, I didn’t have Smith projected in the three-deep heading into fall camp, due to Michigan State hitting the portal for three incoming safeties. But I heard he was a positive playmaker during Saturday’s scrimmage, and Coach Smith mentioned Armorion within the same breath of Denson when providing a brief handicap of the competition to fill in for Martinez. So Armorion Smith appears to be on the comeback trail for 2025.
Smith is experienced. He was the first DB off the bench through the first four games of the 2023 season before being lost for the rest of the season to an injury. Prior to that, he was the first DB off the bench at the University of Cincinnati as a redshirt-freshman in 2022.
If Smith could make a positive splash in 2025, it would be one of the feel-good stories of the season, not only for Michigan State but college football.
As for others in the hunt for playing time, Dontavious Nash (6-2, 186, R-Sr., Gastonia, NC), a safety/CB transfer from East Carolina, had excellent, versatile film in the portal. I still expect that his versatility should suit him well for some sort of role, although no defensive back coaches have been made available for interviews during preseason camp, nor have defensive backs, other than Spencer.
Texas Tech transfer Devynn Cromwell (6-0, 200, 6-Sr., Toronto) and Bowling Green transfer Tracy Revels (6-1, 184, R-Soph., Texarkana, Texas) are competing for a role.
Deeper in the playing group, walk-on Aveon Grose (5-11, 195, R-Jr., Mansfield, Ohio) closed out the Florida Atlantic game last year and has been seen on the field in scrimmage video releases. Walk-on Caleb Gash (6-0, 190, R-Fr., South Lyon, Mich.) increasingly looks like he belongs on the field, according to sources, and venerable walk-on Khalil Majeed (5-11, 197, R-Sr., Moorestown, NJ) is in the bullpen in case of emergency.
But indications are that it’s a competition between Denson and Armorion Smith for the starting nod on opening night at field safety. If Smith is rewired and ready to roll, he should be expected to pick up where he left off in 2023 and show improvement from there. If that’s not good enough to beat out Denson, that’s not a bad thing for Michigan State.
The competition will continue through the first game as Martinez works his way back.
Meanwhile, can Denson or Smith turn and run with a fast slot receiver if and when the coverage call and route concept mesh that way? You’ll know when I knew. Smith wasn’t quite capable of handling it last year, but we’ll see if he’s better this year. Meanwhile, it appears to be Denson’s time to shine, at least while Martinez finishes up his recovery.
Category: General Sports