Michigan State cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin will be leaving the program after just one season to take another position at fellow Big Ten school UCLA, sources confirm to Spartans Illustrated.
The current expectation is that Martin will be able to coach all defensive backs with the Bruins, rather than just cornerbacks as he did with MSU, and also have the title of passing game coordinator in his new role with the Bruins.
Martin, a Pasadena, California native, has spent his entire coaching career in the Pacific Time Zone besides this past year in East Lansing. Martin was hired by Michigan State on Jan. 17.
All of his FBS coaching stops before joining Jonathan Smith’s staff at Michigan State had been with former Pac-12 schools, and now he goes back to one again to UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster.
It will mark Martin’s second stint with the Bruins. He had previously spent time in Los Angeles as the defensive backs coach under Jim Mora from 2012 until 2017. He was also the assistant head coach for the Bruins from 2014 through 2017.
Martin and Foster coached together at UCLA as assistants from 2013 through 2015 when Foster was a graduate assistant coach, and again in 2017 when Foster coached the running backs for the Bruins.
Martin has also had stops as a defensive backs or cornerbacks coach at USC, Washington, Arizona, Colorado and Oregon. He also had the role of passing game coordinator with the Ducks in 2022 and 2023.
Sources tell Spartan Illustrated that some of Martin's children still reside in Pasadena. His son, Cole, currently plays for Arizona State.
Martin is a Michigan State alumnus and a four-year letterwinner for the Spartans from 1992 through 1995. He started out as a wide receiver before switching to cornerback and intercepting 10 passes in his final two seasons in East Lansing, including a seven-interception year in 1994.
This season, under Martin, Smith, defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi, secondary coach Blue Adams and the rest of the staff, the Spartans allowed 206.9 passing yards allowed per game, which was tied for 47th nationally. This was a big improvement from 2023 when MSU allowed 237.8 passing yards per game under interim head coach Harlon Barnett.
This could also potentially spell some trouble for parts of Michigan State’s 2025 recruiting class as it relates to the defensive backs currently committed to the Spartans, but that remains to be seen.
LaRue Zamorano III is from Corona, California and is one of just two four-star recruits currently committed to the Spartans, along with defensive tackle Derrick Simmons. Zamorano also attended UCLA’s game against Fresno State this past weekend, according to his Instagram story, and was at least one other UCLA game earlier this season.
MSU also has 2025 commitments from three-star defensive backs Terrance Edwards, Aydan West and George Mullins. West recently received an offer from UCLA, and took official visits to Ohio State and Virginia Tech. Michigan State is also still pursuing defensive backs Evan Young and Cairo Skanes as well.
The Spartans also just received a 2027 pledge on Sunday from Khalil Terry.
