Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 4 | 736th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 2 | 830th / 2112 |
| Run stops | 6 | 1448th / 3422 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 2 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 35 | — |
Charting
Where Martinez's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
Career
5 seasons at 2 schools since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far |  Michigan State#66 · 2-6 | 8 | 91% | 38 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 2025 | Michigan State#83 · 4-8 | 4 | 28% | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Michigan State#90 · 5-7 | 11 | 92% | 51 | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 2023 |  UCF#49 · 6-7 | 12 | 79% | 30 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2022 * | UCF#35 · 9-5 | 6 | 7% | 8 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Nikai Martinez's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded. * Defense rebuilt from the play-by-play (ESPN's box scores that season are missing it); about 10% below official totals.
Game Log
Nikai Martinez's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
| Defense | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | TD |
| 1 |  Toledo | W 30–20 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 |  Eastern Michigan | W 35–7 | 6.4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 3 | @ Notre Dame | L 10–27 | 6.4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 4 |  Nebraska | L 13–31 | 6.2 | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 | @ Wisconsin | L 3–31 | 5.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 |  Illinois | L 37–38 | 6.4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 |  Northwestern | L 21–24 | 6.2 | 5 | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 8 | @ UCLA | L 10–28 | 8.1 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 6.1 | 38 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 38 | 422nd / 5664 |
| Solo | 21 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1566th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 1 | 780th / 1549 |
| Passes defended | 2 | 471st / 1772 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
| Fumbles | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Fumbles | 0 | — |
| Lost | 0 | — |
| Recovered | 1 | — |
Snaps by Game
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Start | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Toledo | ✓ DB | 41 | ~6 (0–19) | 1 | 15% |
| Wk 2 · Eastern Michigan | ✓ DB | 52 | ~51 (21–52) | 5 | 98% |
| Wk 3 · Notre Dame | ✓ DB | 67 | ~66 (27–67) | 5 | 99% |
| Wk 4 · Nebraska | ✓ DB | 67 | ~65 (26–67) | 4 | 97% |
| Wk 5 · Wisconsin | — | 62 | ~60 (24–62) | 2 | 97% |
| Wk 6 · Illinois | — | 69 | ~69 (28–69) | 9 | 100% |
| Wk 7 · Northwestern | ✓ DB | 71 | ~70 (28–71) | 5 | 99% |
| Wk 8 · UCLA | — | 78 | ~76 (31–78) | 8 | 97% |
| Season | 5 GS | 507 | 463 (351–507) | 39 | 91% |
Position Room
23 DBs on the Michigan State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Devin Vaught | S | JR | 54 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Nikai Martinez | DB | SR | 38 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 7 | Michael Richard | S | SR | 21 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 4 | Charles Brantley | CB | SR | 20 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 3 | Tre Bell | CB | SR | 16 | 2.5 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 0 | NiJhay Burt | CB | SR | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 24 | Jeremiah Favorite | CB | FR | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 22 | Tyran Chappell | CB | SO | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 30 | Aveon Grose | S | SR | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 14 | Andrew Brinson IV | CB | SO | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 15 | Caleb Gash | S | JR | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 34 | Khalil Majeed | S | SR | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 29 | KJ Deriso | CB | FR | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Evan Young | S | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 17 | Jonathan Granby | S | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 31 | Deuce Edwards | S | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Keshawn Williams | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 26 | Trevaughn Martinez | S | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Truth Umenyiora | CB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | Brayden Thomas | S | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Eliyjah Caldwell | S | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | Darelle Cochran | CB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 42 | Luca Genrich | CB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Michigan State depth chart →