Nikai Martinez
Michigan State Spartans
77
Solid

Nikai Martinez

Michigan State SpartansAverage
SSDefenseSolid
Projected Starter

Is Nikai Martinez starting?

Nikai Martinez is the projected starter at SS for Michigan State Spartans.

Redshirt senior · #21 · 5'11", 196 lbs

See full Michigan State Spartans depth chart ›
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Depth at SS · Michigan State Spartans

  1. 12177Nikai MartinezStarter
  2. 23072Aveon Grose

Michigan State Starting Lineup

Full Michigan State depth chart ›

Top defensive backs in the Big Ten

Zach LutmerIowa · FSEarl Little Jr.Ohio State · SSJamari SharpeIndiana · LCB

The Story

Making His Case

A 4-star recruit out of Apopka, ranked #356 nationally coming out of high school. In 2025: 24 tackles, 0 INT, 0 PBU. That's 2% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 77 overall (Solid tier).

Recruit4★ · #356 Natl2-Yr Total75 tacklesTeam Share2%
Apopka, FL
Jersey
#21
Class
RS SR/TR
Height
5'11"
Weight
196 lbs

Career Stats

SeasonTklINTPD
20252400
20245122

Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.

Recruiting Profile

Stars
★★★★☆4-star
Composite
0.8967
National Rank
#356
High School
Apopka
Hometown
Apopka, FL

Why this rating?

On a 82-rated defense; 55th-percentile production (×0.87 for competition level) put them -5 vs unit starters → 77.

Team defense (SP+)
82
Rating basis
On-field stats
On-field production
Outperforms 55% of peers
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.87)
Depth-chart adjustment
-5 for role

2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.

2026 Game Log

Oct 10LILLTKL 9
TKL
9
SOLO
3
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 38-37 OT

Oct 3LWISTKL 2
TKL
2
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 31-3

Sep 26LNEBTKL 4
TKL
4
SOLO
2
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final L 31-13

Sep 19LNDTKL 4
TKL
4
SOLO
3
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
1

Final L 27-10

Sep 12WEMUTKL 5
TKL
5
SOLO
1
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
1

Final W 35-7

Sep 5WTOLTKL 1
TKL
1
SOLO
1
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 30-20

Nikai Martinez's 2026 game-by-game stat log.

The People's Ratings

Is our 77 OVR fair?
77
Solid
Vote to see what thousands of fans think

Team Role

24 tkl · 0 PD · 0 INT
Usage / Involvement33%
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Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.