Logan Martin from Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, is currently living the dream of thousands of Maine high school boys: playing football for the Black Bears at the University of Maine. The five-foot-eleven-inch, 200-pound wide receiver is entering his second season with the team after having a dominant high school career.
Maine did not have a high school football season in the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19, Martin’s senior year. However, his junior season was enough to get multiple Division I teams to notice him after putting up 1700 yards, 31 touchdowns and getting a touchdown every 4.8 times he touched the ball, a staggering stat. Being widely considered one of the best prospects in the state, he was given scholarships by D-1 Wagner College and D-2 Saint Anselm’s College but decided to stick to his home state and followed his heart, committing to Maine as a preferred walk-on.
Martin’s first season was cut short in training camp after a torn ACL and meniscus. He had surgery in September and will have a clean-up procedure this upcoming week. This will help Martin to get fully prepared to play in his first game in nearly three years.
In addition to football, Martin played lots of other sports in high school. He starred in basketball, as well as baseball, golf and track and field. He had many 20+ point and 10+ rebound games while competing for the Foxcroft Academy Ponies. He is also a communications student at UMaine and is trying to get into sports media.
Q&A with Logan Martin:
Q: When did you first fall in love with football?
A: I first fell in love with the sport in kindergarten when I was playing during recess with older kids, and even back then I was balling out and scoring touchdowns. I just loved the feeling of having the ball in my hands. That’s when I fell in love with all my sports from my youthful days.
Q: Tell me about when you were growing up.
A: We basically grew up in the middle-of-nowhere in Dover-Foxcroft, so it was a pretty hard place to get noticed. I was raised the right way, I [have] two loving parents and [a] sister, and they were always there for me and supporting me.
Q: Tell me about your junior season on the gridiron and how it felt to dominate the competition?
A: It’s been a while since I have played, that being the last year. There were a lot of great players in the Little 10 Conference, and we had a young team. We only had about 28 kids on the team and not many seniors or juniors, so I stepped into a leadership role when all the guys from the year before graduated. My mindset was that I am trying to play at the next level so I have to do what I have to do on and off the field to make my team better and for me to live up to my potential. I feel like if I had a senior season, then we could have made a run at a state title because this past year they won it and a lot of the leaders on that team were younger players, so I definitely feel like we could have done it.
Q: How did it feel to not have your senior season [happen] due to Covid[-19]?
A: That was a big part of how I ended up here. That was the point where I realized I can’t take anything for granted, whether it’s practice or anything. Every chance I get to play is a blessing because just like that it can be gone, via injury or whatever, you have to cherish every second.
Q: At what moment did you realize you could play at the collegiate level?
A: When I was a freshman, I went to my first football camp at Wesleyan University and competed with a bunch of kids who were 14-18 years old and I was balling out. I did the 40-yard dash, 1v1 drills, cone drills and other stuff. At the time I didn’t know I was gonna play college ball, I was just trying to get noticed. You usually don’t see a ton of kids getting recruited out of this state, that’s why I was so pumped when Wesleyan invited me on a visit and to check out all of the facilities and campus. This was really the moment when I knew what I wanted to do.
Q: What made you want to come to UMaine when you had other offers?
A: I was offered a good amount of money from the other schools, but UMaine has been my dream school since I was a little kid, so when they offered me the PWO
I was so excited to be representing my state.
Q: Who in your life has inspired your life the most?
A: Definitely my father. If I am half the man that he is, I know I would be doing good. There would be times when he would be traveling all across the state for work and still come to every single game. So, he is definitely my inspiration.
Q: Do you want to explain about the surgeries you have had from playing up here?
A: Yeah, I tore my ACL and meniscus in the last play of a scrimmage towards the end of camp. I went to make a block and I got hit by a cornerback and was not [bracing] for contact and my knee buckled and made a popping sound. I can still remember that sound. I have been out for seven months now and I am recovering and doing physical therapy. So, I should be back within a month or so and I can’t wait.
Q: What are your thoughts on the new head coach Jordan Stevens?
A: I love coach. He played here and he is from Maine so I can relate to that. He is so committed to the program through and through. He knows what it’s like to be a student-athlete here and represent the state of Maine and be a Black Bear.
Q: What has been your favorite memory with the team so far?
A: That’s a tough question, but if I had to pick one it would probably be the rap battle during camp. I was challenged to rap against Richie Carr. It was so fun, we were going at it in the locker room and on the field. One of the best times I have had.
Q: What are your personal goals?
A: I am a team-first player, as we all are. So for the team, I want us to win the CAA and beat UNH, and have the best possible season we can. Personally, I want to get healthy and contribute to the team.
Q: What are your goals after college?
A: I hope to one day get into sports media and broadcast, have my own podcast, and run an app that covers sports. That is always something I hope to do after I graduate.
