NC State needed added depth in the secondary and zeroed in on Akron safety Kerry Martin.
Martin, who goes by K.J., played at West Virginia from 2019-to-2021, and then transferred to Akron. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder had 45 tackles, two interceptions, six passes defended and one sack this past fall. Martin was able to get an interception against Central Michigan on Oct. 14, and also against Morgan State.
Martin is expected to be able to play free safety or nickel if need be. In high school, he attended Capital High in Charleston, W.Va., and was a prep quarterback. He threw for 2,164 yards and 29 touchdowns, and rushed for 800 yards and 12 scores his senior year. Rivals.com had Martin as a three-star prospect and the No. 7 overall player in West Virginia in the class of 2019. He stayed home to play for WVU, and picked the Mountaineers over offers from Cincinnati, Rutgers, Army, Howard, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Toledo and Western Kentucky.
Martin was recruited by current NC State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tony Gibson, along with then WVU assistant coaches Doug Belk and Matt Caponi. Gibson never coached Martin as he left for NC State for the 2019 season.
Martin played his freshman year and had 50 tackles and five passes defended. He played against NC State, winning 44-27 on Sept. 14, 2019, getting five tackles.
Martin opted out of the 2020 season, and most of the 2021 campaign, and made the move to Akron. He had 53 tackles and an interception for the Zips in 2022.
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