Carlton Martial Named Sun Belt Male Athlete of the Year

TROY, Ala. – Carlton Martial added the feather to his cap Tuesday night when he was named the Sun Belt Conference Male Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2022-23 season at the Sun Belt Honors Banquet in Atlanta.

The NCAA's all-time leading tackler at the FBS level, Martial is the only offensive or defensive player in league history to earn All-Sun Belt First Team honors four times in their career and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 after finishing the season ranked third nationally averaging 11.3 tackles per game.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank God because without him, none of this would be possible," Martial said. "I want to thank Commissioner Gill and the Sun Belt conference Athletics Directors for presenting me with this honor. This award is not just for me, but for the city of Troy, my teammates, Coach Sumrall and our entire coaching staff. Also, everyone who believed in me throughout my entire journey. I want to thank all of them for allowing me to do something special."

Martial, a native of Mobile, Ala., earned All-America honors for a fourth season in 2022 as Fox Sports and Action Network selected him for their second team. During Troy's stay in Orlando for the Cure Bowl, Martial received an invite to the Senior Bowl.

"Carlton Martial will forever be remembered for not only his performance as a player but more importantly for his impact off the field and for the person he is," head coach Jon Sumrall said. "Carlton is everything you want in a football player, from his work ethic, his leadership, his character and his passion for the game. He is the kind of person that you want your kids to look up to. We are incredibly proud of Carlton for all his accomplishments and awards, as he is more than deserving of them."

He finished the 2022 season with seven double-digit tackle games, pushing his career total to 27, including 22 tackles in his record-breaking game against Army. The Trojans were 9-1 in games he played last season en route to winning the Sun Belt Championship and finishing the season ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25. Additionally, Martial had a game-high 14 tackles in Troy's victory over No. 22 UTSA in the Cure Bowl, the only bowl game to feature two conference champions.

Martial was a two-time finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, presented annually to the nation's top player who began his career as a walk-on.

He burst onto the college football scene in 2018, earning multiple Freshman All-American honors after finishing sixth nationally among freshmen in tackles. The following year, he became just the 12^thunderclassman and first in 20 years to record 100 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions in a season.

Martial followed that by leading the country with 113 tackles in 2020 and was rated as the sixth-best defensive player in the country by Pro Football Focus before earning PFF All-America honors in 2021 after ranking sixth nationally with 10.6 tackles per game.

Troy University Athletics

Carlton Martial Named Sun Belt Male Athlete of the Year

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