‘I definitely feel like a different player’: Khobie Martin’s evolution goes beyond the field for IU football

Khobie Martin at IU football fall camp.

By definition, the term “dynamic” refers to constant change.

Running backs must be dynamic in the modern age of college football. They must continuously change their direction, vision, speed and role. They must also constantly change off the field.

Indiana redshirt sophomore tailback Khobie Martin is a prime example.

Last season as a redshirt freshman, Martin rushed for 505 yards and six touchdowns on 78 carries. While ineligible for consideration on the leaderboards due to minimum carry requirements, Martin’s 6.5 yards per carry would have made him tied for second in the conference.

He was initially not expected to be part of the running back rotation. That changed when Lee Beebe Jr. went down for the season with a torn ACL early in Indiana’s Week 3 win against Indiana State. Martin filled in, mostly in the second half and ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. He followed it up with 107 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in IU’s blowout of No. 9 Illinois the next week.

Especially in Curt Cignetti’s system, that kind of playing time and production for a redshirt freshman is rare. Cignetti prefers to play guys with experience and production under their belt. Martin may not have shown it on the field, but he felt it internally.

“I feel like last year I was still trying to just adjust, learn the plays, learn my position, do whatever I can on the field to just make sure the team could benefit in any way,” Martin said. “I feel like I was still a little bit young.”

Enter the ability to be dynamic off the field. Martin now has 14 games worth of experience, including two College Football Playoff games. He works through fall camp with the knowledge that he will be relied upon heavily in the 2026 season.

“This year, I feel like I grew up a little bit, matured some more,” Martin said.

Cignetti has taken notice.

“Khobie Martin has really taken a step,” Cignetti said. “He’s improved as much or more so as anyone in that first recruiting class. Every time he has an opportunity, he takes advantage of it. He practices really hard. Runs with a good pad level. He’s a load. I really like him a lot.”

Martin’s maturation and mindset have also allowed his body to change. That does not come without discipline and dedication. For Martin, most of that work comes in the kitchen through meal prep.

“This meal prep has really taken my weight and just my body composition to a different level,” Martin said. “I feel like I got a lot more muscle in my arms, toned down a little bit. I had a little bit of baby fat on me, so we got rid of that. This year, we got more of a grown man body.”

Martin is listed at 6-feet, 204 pounds. In 2025, he was listed at 6-feet, 208 pounds. The ongoing changes in body composition are also making a noticeable impact on the field.

“I definitely feel like a different player,” Martin said. “I feel like my body just feels a little lighter on me, for sure. My legs, I feel like I can pick them up quicker. I feel faster, I feel twitchier.”

“He’s gotten faster and more explosive since he’s been here, very pleased with his progress to this point,” Cignetti said.

Martin will be part of a three-player tandem of running backs for Indiana alongside Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. All three bring something different to the table as part of the Hoosiers’ incoming proverbial 1-1-1 punch at the position. Martin is making sure his speed, power and maturity shine.

He is reaching that point one freshly cooked meal at a time.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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