Ball State University Athletics
Brandon Martin named semifinalist for Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year
November 10, 2021 | Football
Redshirt senior is one of 20 up for the annual award
DALLAS – Ball State inside linebacker Brandon Martin has been named a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, the award selection committee announced Wednesday.
The award is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
When it comes to adversity, the Indianapolis, Ind. native embodies what it means to be resilient. He has fought through multiple serious injuries and has rose above them to be a leader and two-time captain. In the 2019 season opener, Martin tore his labrum in his left shoulder and his season was over. Then, after recovering, he tore his labrum in his right shoulder leading up to Ball State's appearance in the Arizona Bowl. Coming back for his final season, Martin re-tore his left shoulder and has since played through it. In the 2021 season opener, he tore cartilage in his right knee and was told his career may be over. Martin went through rehabilitation, the doctors removed the cartilage from his knee and he got back on the field seven weeks later, serving as a team captain for a team that is in search of repeating as MAC champions.
Martin came into the program as a running back, but made the switch to linebacker after taking a redshirt his first season on campus. He has played in 36 games with 20 starts as a middle linebacker. He owns 225 total tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, three passes defended and one interception. In 2020, Martin became the first BSU player named MAC Defensive Player of the Year since punter Brad Maynard in 1996 and the Cardinals' first traditional defensive player to win the award since linebacker Greg Garnica did it three straight years from 1987-89. He was also selected All-Mid-American Conference First Team.
Having served on the program's leadership council, Martin is a key figure and representative for the football team. He was recognized by Ball State's Multicultural Center with the Mary Etta Taylor-Rose Service Award. The award is presented annually to a student of color who has shown self-initiated service in a variety of agencies and has a consistent history of service to others within the Ball State and/or Muncie communities. Martin served on Ball State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as the group's social media and marketing executive. He came up with the #NoShameInMyGame hashtag that pushed the importance of mental health in one of SAAC's key initiatives. SAAC aimed to emphasize the importance of speaking up about one's mental health issues and finding strength in vulnerability during that campaign. Martin has been involved in a handful of local community organization events as well, volunteering some of his time with Ball State Best Buddies, Ball State Dance Marathon, Children's Museum and Muncie Mission. One person who has had a lasting positive impact on Martin is 10-year old Dominick Landreth, a child who was born with mitochondrial disease. Landreth connected with Martin and the rest of the football team in 2018 through the organization Team IMPACT. Martin was awarded Academic All-Mid-American Conference after earning his degree in Business Marketing. He is currently working towards another degree in Health Education and Promotion.
Martin is joined on the list by Grant Morgan (Arkansas), James Empey (BYU), Elijah Hicks (California), Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati), Darien Rencher (Clemson), Jake Bobo (Duke), Vederian Lowe (Illinois), Skylar Thompson (Kansas State), Joshua Paschal (Kentucky), Tanner Morgan (Minnesota), Austin Williams (Mississippi State), Adrian Martinez (Nebraska), Patrick Fields (Oklahoma), Sean Clifford (Penn State), Nick Figueroa (Southern California), Kingsley Jonathan (Syracuse), Tony Bradford, Jr. (Texas Tech), Bryce Harris (Toledo) and Brock Hoffman (Virginia Tech).
Three finalists will be named for the award on Wednesday, December 15. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony in Frisco, Texas, on February 17, 2022.
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 14 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.
The award is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
When it comes to adversity, the Indianapolis, Ind. native embodies what it means to be resilient. He has fought through multiple serious injuries and has rose above them to be a leader and two-time captain. In the 2019 season opener, Martin tore his labrum in his left shoulder and his season was over. Then, after recovering, he tore his labrum in his right shoulder leading up to Ball State's appearance in the Arizona Bowl. Coming back for his final season, Martin re-tore his left shoulder and has since played through it. In the 2021 season opener, he tore cartilage in his right knee and was told his career may be over. Martin went through rehabilitation, the doctors removed the cartilage from his knee and he got back on the field seven weeks later, serving as a team captain for a team that is in search of repeating as MAC champions.
Martin came into the program as a running back, but made the switch to linebacker after taking a redshirt his first season on campus. He has played in 36 games with 20 starts as a middle linebacker. He owns 225 total tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, three passes defended and one interception. In 2020, Martin became the first BSU player named MAC Defensive Player of the Year since punter Brad Maynard in 1996 and the Cardinals' first traditional defensive player to win the award since linebacker Greg Garnica did it three straight years from 1987-89. He was also selected All-Mid-American Conference First Team.
Having served on the program's leadership council, Martin is a key figure and representative for the football team. He was recognized by Ball State's Multicultural Center with the Mary Etta Taylor-Rose Service Award. The award is presented annually to a student of color who has shown self-initiated service in a variety of agencies and has a consistent history of service to others within the Ball State and/or Muncie communities. Martin served on Ball State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as the group's social media and marketing executive. He came up with the #NoShameInMyGame hashtag that pushed the importance of mental health in one of SAAC's key initiatives. SAAC aimed to emphasize the importance of speaking up about one's mental health issues and finding strength in vulnerability during that campaign. Martin has been involved in a handful of local community organization events as well, volunteering some of his time with Ball State Best Buddies, Ball State Dance Marathon, Children's Museum and Muncie Mission. One person who has had a lasting positive impact on Martin is 10-year old Dominick Landreth, a child who was born with mitochondrial disease. Landreth connected with Martin and the rest of the football team in 2018 through the organization Team IMPACT. Martin was awarded Academic All-Mid-American Conference after earning his degree in Business Marketing. He is currently working towards another degree in Health Education and Promotion.
Martin is joined on the list by Grant Morgan (Arkansas), James Empey (BYU), Elijah Hicks (California), Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati), Darien Rencher (Clemson), Jake Bobo (Duke), Vederian Lowe (Illinois), Skylar Thompson (Kansas State), Joshua Paschal (Kentucky), Tanner Morgan (Minnesota), Austin Williams (Mississippi State), Adrian Martinez (Nebraska), Patrick Fields (Oklahoma), Sean Clifford (Penn State), Nick Figueroa (Southern California), Kingsley Jonathan (Syracuse), Tony Bradford, Jr. (Texas Tech), Bryce Harris (Toledo) and Brock Hoffman (Virginia Tech).
Three finalists will be named for the award on Wednesday, December 15. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony in Frisco, Texas, on February 17, 2022.
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 14 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.
Players Mentioned
ILB
/ FootballFootball // Ryan Lezon Mic'd Up
Thursday, April 02
2026 One Ball State Day - Football
Tuesday, March 31
Football // Together: Spring Ball Episode 1 -- Produced by Sports Link
Thursday, March 26
Football // Day 1 of Spring Ball Interviews
Thursday, March 26