LJ Martin has made up his mind.
BYU’s star running back will play his senior year with the Cougars in 2026 rather than declare early for the NFL draft, he announced Thursday via social media.
The 2025 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, Martin ran for a Big 12-best 1,305 yards this past season along with 12 touchdowns at an average of 5.5 yards per carry.
Martin tallied six total 100-yard outings in 2025, including a 222-yard outburst at Cincinnati, 122 yards against rival Utah and 162 yards in BYU’s double overtime win at Arizona.
Seven of Martin’s 12 touchdowns came in his final four contests, thanks in part to a hat trick of three scores in the regular season finale against UCF.
Most impressively, Martin’s late season surge came as he played through a shoulder injury sustained in late October. Aside from the Pop-Tarts Bowl, he didn’t miss a single game, with his health only leading to one early exit.
In 33 career games since arriving in Provo in 2023, Martin has racked up 2,939 yards of total offense with 26 touchdowns.
The bruising Texas native ranks ninth on BYU’s program rushing leaderboard with 2,541 yards, needing 1,361 yards as a senior to unseat Jamaal Williams as the school’s all-time leading rusher.
In addition to Martin, a number of other key Cougar players such as quarterback Bear Bachmeier, wide receiver Parker Kingston and safety Faletau Satuala have already announced their intentions to return to BYU in 2026.