Troy University Athletics
2021 Football Roster
Roster
Carlton Martial
- Position:
- LB
- Ht./Wt.:
- 5-9 / 210
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Mobile, Ala.
- High School:
- McGill-Toolen HS
NCAA FBS Career Tackles Record Holder
Sun Belt Conference Career Tackles Record Holder
2018 Freshman All-America Team (The Athletic)
2018 Freshman All-America Team (USA Today)
2018 Freshman All-America Team (FWAA)
2019 Second Team All-America (Pro Football Focus)
2019 No. 35 Player in College Football (Pro Football Focus)
2019 All-Sun Belt First Team
2020 First Team Preseason All-America (Walter Camp)
2020 All-Sun Belt First Team
2020 Burlsworth Trophy Semifinalist
2021 All-Sun Belt First Team
2021 Burlsworth Trophy Finalist
2021 All-America Honorable Mention (Pro Football Network)
2022 All-Sun Belt First Team
2022 Burlsworth Trophy Finalist
2023 Senior Bowl
2022 All-America Second Team (Action Network / Fox Sports)
2022 All-America Third Team (Phil Steele)
2022 (Senior): Broke the NCAA FBS record for career tackles with a 22-tackle performance against Army; finished his career with 577 tackles … Named one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s top player who began his career as a walk-on … Earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors to become the first offensive or defensive player to become four-time All-Sun Belt First Team selection in league history after earning the honor in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 … Named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year … Four-time Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week … Recorded seven double-digit tackle games for the season and 27 in his career … Ranked third nationally averaging 11.3 tackles per game … Earned a Senior Bowl invite … Earned All-America second team honors from Fox Sports and Action Network, while taking home third team honors from Phil Steele … Recorded 18 tackles against Marshall to break the Sun Belt career tackles record after he missed the App State game due to injury
2021 (Junior): Named one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s top player who began his career as a walk-on … Earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors and was selected to the Pro Football Network All-America Team … Finished the regular season with 24 more tackles than anyone else in the Sun Belt – seven more overall despite playing two fewer games – and was the only player averaging double-digit tackles per game … Ranked sixth nationally with 10.6 tackles per game and ended the season just 17 tackles shy of the all-time Sun Belt record … Enters the 2022 campaign just 104 tackles shy of setting the all-time FBS record … Selected to play in the Senior Bowl ... One of just two players at the FBS level since 2000 to record more than 425 tackles, 47 tackles for loss and five interceptions in their career – he has 442 tackles, 46 tackles for loss and five interceptions … Is the nation's leading tackler since the start of the 2018 season, with 442 tackles: 66 more than the next closest player … Posted six games with double-digit tackles, including games with 18 and 19 tackles … Registered double-digit tackles in five straight games from Oct. 16 to Nov. 20 … Credited with a tackle for loss in eight different games, including the first six games of the season … Intercepted a pass in Troy’s win at Southern Miss … Among linebackers with at least 650 snaps, ranked eighth per Pro Football Focus with an overall 81.8 defensive grade and second with an 87.1 rush defense grade – among all players, his rush defense-grade ranks 17th … One of just three players in Troy history – Boris Lee and Jerrel Jernigan – to earn a trio of All-Sun Belt First Team honors
2020 (Junior): Named to the All-Sun Belt First Team after leading the country with 113 tackles … Broke up a trio of passes and intercepted Coastal's Grayson McCall (one of just two on the year) to set up a late go-ahead score for the Trojans in the season finale … Named one of the top three returning linebackers for the 2021 season by Pro Football Focus … Named a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began career as a walk-on) … Entered season with 239 tackles since the start of the 2019 season, which is the most by any player in the country … Rated as the sixth-best defensive player in the country per PFF with a 82.4 overall defensive grade and the fourth-best defender against the run with a 82.4 grade … Recorded a career-high 21 tackles in season finale vs. Coastal Carolina, it was the second most in school history and tied for the most in an FBS game all season … Finished the season with four straight double-digit tackle games (two home and two away) … Played 713 total snaps on the season … Recorded multiple tackles for loss in three different games
2019 (Sophomore): Named to the Pro Football Focus All-America Second Team and was named the No. 35 player in the country by PFF … Became just the 12th player and first underclassman in the last 20 years at the FBS level to finish a season with at least 100 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions … Named to the All-Sun Belt First Team … Closed the year with 126 tackles, the most by a Troy player since 2000, and 18.5 tackles for loss, the fifth most in a season in Troy history, and three picks … Only player in the country to rank in the top eight nationally in tackles (10.5) and tackles for loss per game (1.54) ... Recorded double-digit tackles in seven of Troy's games and added seven or more tackles in four other games … Forced three fumbles and recovered one … Returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown at Texas State – one of two picks in the game … Entered the 2020 season as the nation’s active leader in career fumbles forced per game (0.25) and fourth in tackles for loss per game (1.13) … Finished the season with twice as many tackles (126-63) as his next closest teammate … Played a remarkable 837 defensive snaps (69.75/game); next closest teammate played 668 snaps (55.67) … Third-highest ranked player in the country per PFF with a 91.3 defensive rating (Min. 825 snaps) … Tied the Troy single-game record with 4.5 tackles for loss (DeMarcus Ware & Kenny Mainor) against Southern Miss
2018 (RS-Freshman): Earned Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic, USA Today and the FWAA … Earned a scholarship prior to the start of fall camp … Started nine games at middle linebacker and was a top Sun Belt Freshman of the Year candidate … Led all freshmen in the league in tackles and tackles for loss and finished second in sacks … Troy’s top-rated defensive player per Pro Football Focus with a 90.9 rating and 92.8 rating against the run; he ranked 20th nationally overall and fifth nationally against the run – three of the four players ahead of him were selected within the first 13 picks of the NFL Draft (minimum of 375 snaps) … Sixth nationally among freshmen with 76 total tackles … Dominated in front of his hometown crowd at the Dollar General Bowl with six tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery … Recorded a pair of sacks, eight tackles and a forced fumble in Troy’s win over Coastal Carolina … Finished with a career-best 10 tackles at Liberty … Credited with 14 total pressures that resulted in three sacks, four hits and seven hurries
2017 (Freshman): Did not see game action ... Redshirted
High School: Earned all-state, all-district and all-city honors as a junior and senior at McGill-Toolen High School ... Five-time player of the week honoree his senior season ... Recorded 120 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and six sacks his senior season ... As a junior, finished with 197 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown ... Added five tackles for loss and three sacks as a sophomore ... Helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a 13-0 record and a state title as a junior in 2015 and a 12-1 record with a state championship game appearance as a senior ... Also played basketball and baseball; McGill won basketball state title his junior season
Personal: Full name is Carlton Anthony Martial ... Son of Elizabeth and Philbert Martial ... Born April 11, 1999 ... Has one brother, Philbert ... Graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism in the summer of 2021; focusing on post-baccalaureate studies
