AUBURN, Ala. – Kam Martin has heard it all offseason. He sees it on his mirror every time he walks into his room. A constant reminder.
"Too small. Not durable enough. Can he be the guy?"
Everybody has been raving about Auburn's freshmen running backs and what they bring to the table, but when Martin's name comes up, it's question mark after question mark. It doesn't matter that the junior running back averaged 6.12 yards per carry last year and was second on the team behind Kerryon Johnson in rushing attempts (74) and rushing yards (453). What matters is size and whether he can lead the backfield.
But it doesn't faze Martin. Keep talking. It's just adding fuel.
"It actually motivates me," he said. "They say I'm too small. They say I'm this or that. Every day, I go home and feel it. That's in the back of my head. Prove the doubters wrong. Prove everybody wrong. So I just can't wait to show what I really can do this year."
Beginning Saturday in Atlanta, Martin – listed No. 1 on the depth chart that came out this week – will get that chance to prove everybody wrong.
Martin will be the first to admit that the critics weren't necessarily wrong about him. After the bowl game last year and when Johnson declared early for the NFL the next day, the four-star recruit knew he wasn't big enough to do what Johnson did. He knew he wasn't big enough to carry the load, to pass protect against bigger players and to be "that guy" for Auburn in 2018.
So he took it on himself to add weight and get stronger.
"When I got back in from the break, I got in there with Coach [Ryan] Russell and we drew up a plan," Martin said. "I got in there with the nutrionist, and they wrote a meal plan for me. I just followed that. Me, I don't really like to eat a lot, but I knew that I had to eat. So I used to wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning and just eat in the Wellness Kitchen. Eat, eat, eat."
Martin says he was probably eating five or six times a day. Some nights, he would eat a jar-and-a-half of peanut butter. And not spread on a piece of bread. He was just taking his spoon and eating scoops of it. Then he'd follow that up with a protein shake.
Since the end of last season, Martin has added close to 15 pounds. He's nearing 200 pounds for the first time in his life, and even with the added weight, he still feels explosive.
The coaches took note of Martin's weight gains and the work that went into it. Head coach Gus Malzahn has said time and again this offseason that the junior would be the first running back out there when Auburn takes the field for the time in the season opener against Washington. After fall camp, even with all the competition, Martin is still listed at No. 1.
"I feel like the trust factor comes into that," Martin said. "Him trusting me, him knowing that I can go out there and get the job done, those guys believing in me. It's a blessing. I give God the credit that I have the opportunity to do what I'm doing."
Going back to 2009, Auburn has had at least one player rush for more than 1,000 yards every season. That's nine straight seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher, and a handful of those guys are now playing in the NFL.
This season, Martin wants to keep the streak alive and be that guy.
"Of course," he said. "But there's no pressure. That's not even on my mind. I just want to go out there and do my thing. Kerryon never talked about 1,000 yards. He never talked about it. I'm pretty sure that was his goal, but you don't have to talk about it. Just go out there and do it."
But Martin also knows that just because he's the No. 1 running back on the depth chart Week 1, it doesn't mean that he's automatically going to be the back that runs for 1,000 yards. His room is stocked with young, emerging talent like JaTarvious Whitlow, Asa Martin and Shaun Shivers who all have the potential to lead the group if called upon. According to Malzahn, you could see all four of those guys on the field Saturday.
"I know each day I have to bring my "A" game because I have a great group of running backs in that room," Martin said. "I feel like everybody that's in that room can go out there and lead the team. But I just have to keep getting better. And as a group, we just have to keep getting better."
The quartet might be unproven, but they're hungry. And Martin, the top back on the depth chart, might be the hungriest of them all. Hungry to prove himself.
"I'm just ready to make everything happen this year," he said.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf
