‘He’s a spitting image of Coach Meat;’ Cole Martin is part of the family at Oregon
The idea of a coach’s son in the world of sports growing up was not uncommon in the slightest. Quite often, the head coach of a team would typically have one of their kids on the roster, moving through the different levels of youth sports as their kid grows up. Typically, there may tend to be a hint of nepotism involved, with the coach’s kid often playing quarterback, pitcher, or point guard.
When you get to the college level, though, the idea of a coach’s kid becomes far rarer. Almost never do you hear about the coach of a team having his son on the roster. This year in Eugene, we’ve been treated to those dynamics playing out with the Oregon Ducks between cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin and his son, defensive back Cole Martin.
Coach ‘Meat’ has been in Eugene for two years now, coming as one of the key members of Dan Lanning’s first coaching staff with the Ducks. Cole is an incoming freshman, rated as a 4-star prospect in the 2023 class.
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Obviously, Oregon players are particularly familiar with the eldest Martin in the program. But getting to know his son has been a treat, and often a source of entertainment in the meeting room.
“It’s actually crazy because like, young Cole is a spitting image of Coach Meat,” cornerback Dontae Manning said on Saturday. “Like the aggression, the anger, the hype-ness. And it’s crazy like it’s literally his twin in a meeting room.”
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The dynamics of having a position coach in charge of molding his son at a major D1, Power 5 program like Oregon are complicated. Does Coach Meat take it easy on Cole, making sure that he understands the process and goes through everything mentally at his own pace? Does the coach go harder on his son than other players, taking an extra step to push him a bit further because he wants him to be better than the rest?
It’s a hard tightrope to walk, but one that Coach Demetrice is traversing well so far.
“It’s been a good experience, a lot easier than I thought it would be,” Coach Meat said. “Because of Coach Lanning, you got Coach Tosh (Lupoi), you got Coach (Chris) Hampton; those guys are on his butt for everything so they get to him before I get to him. I just wait till we get home at night.”
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When he does get the chance to coach up his son, though, is the approach different? Does he have to be mindful of the parenting of history and potential dynamics at play?
“No, he’s a tough kid,” Coach Martin said. “He’s been around me all his life. So he understands how I get down and how I coach and how I teach. So he knows when to say ‘when.’”
That doesn’t always mean it’s smooth sailing, of course. With any coach and player, there are bound to be arguments, and a little bit of tough love; that’s just how coaching works. If a player does something wrong, or misses an assignment, the coach is going to have to do what they can in order to make sure that the player corrects that mistake going forward.
But when you have a coach and a player who are so similar, and look a like, and live life with mannerisms that mirror each other, it can get a bit comical from an outside perspective.
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“I mean it’s funny at times when they butt heads because it’s like ‘okay this the same person talking to himself.’ Like it’s crazy,” Manning said. “But yeah, it’s crazy in that meeting room, I love it though.”
Anyone who has gotten a chance to know Coach Meat over the years has nothing but great things to say. I was personally able to talk to Cole Martin extensively a year ago after his commitment to Oregon and was blown away at how mature he came across for a teenager.
Maybe it’s due to good genes. Maybe it’s due to good coaching.
Regardless of the reasoning, there’s an extra dose of Martin in the Oregon locker room this year, and hopefully for many years to come. I can’t imagine a world where the Ducks are not better for it.
