Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin arrived at The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa with good news:
Only three of his starters were definitively entering the transfer portal and hadn’t made the trip to Tucson for the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop.
Michael Lev is a senior writer/columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson.com and The Wildcaster.
But it was only Tuesday.
“We’ve only got three — so far,” Martin said. “It’s minute to minute, day by day.
“You’re gonna lose some guys. Everybody does. ... At some point I thought it was gonna be 10.”
According to various reports, at least five RedHawks were expected to enter the portal. Martin said just three were confirmed: offensive tackle Drew Terrill, defensive end Adam Trick and long snapper Hudson Powell.
Wide receiver Kam Perry — who had his coming-out party in last year’s Arizona Bowl in place of other players who’d entered the portal — was reported to be on the way out. He even reposted a social-media item stating that he “plans” to enter the portal, with sourcing attributed to his agents.
Miami (Ohio) receiver Kam Perry participates in a play against Rutgers, Sept. 6, 2025, in Piscataway, N.J.
But Martin said Perry traveled with the team and planned to play. We’ll see if that materializes when Miami kicks off vs. Fresno State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
That nagging uncertainty has become standard operating procedure for college football programs this time of year — especially in the so-called “Group of Five” conferences in which Miami and Fresno State reside.
(Fresno State will leave the Mountain West for the reconstituted Pac-12 next year, at which time the Group of Five will become the Group of Six. We’ll go with Group of Five, or G5, in this piece for the sake of simplicity.)
Martin’s approach to that problem, if you want to call it that, could best be described as pragmatic. He understands that some players have monetary opportunities beyond Miami’s capabilities. He also respects the freedom of movement players now have; coaches, he noted, have always had it.
“They don't ask me about the rules. No one cares what Chuck Martin thinks,” Martin told me as he munched on mixed nuts in La Paloma’s Casa 71 Tequila Lounge while awaiting the arrival of the rest of the RedHawks.
Miami (Ohio) head coach Chuck Martin looks toward the field in the first half of the Arizona Bowl against Colorado State, Dec. 28, 2024, in Tucson.
“So I can whine and kick and scream and say, ‘This is so chaotic’ — (which is) what everybody thinks. And I get what everybody thinks. Trust me, I think the same thing.”
Whining, kicking and screaming don't accomplish anything, though. It's just wasted energy.
Budgets and bonds
Martin attributes Miami’s consistent success to, in part, his refusal to feel frustrated about losing players or recruiting battles because of a lack of resources. Excluding the COVID season of 2020, when they played only three games, the RedHawks have earned bowl eligibility six years in a row.
During that time, college sports experienced seismic changes, including unfettered transferring; legalized Name, Image and Likeness compensation; and, most recently, revenue-sharing between schools and student-athletes.
Revenue-sharing wasn’t in effect a year ago, when, according to Martin, Miami’s entire roster earned a mere $80,000 in NIL. (That doesn’t include the NIL players received for participating in a youth clinic the day before the game.) The RedHawks’ opponent, Colorado State, had a roster budget of $2.5 million, per Martin’s coaching contacts. Miami won 43-17.
Miami (Ohio) linebacker Adam Trick (20) reacts after recovering a fumble against Colorado State in the first half of the Arizona Bowl, Dec. 28, 2024, in Tucson.
“I went to a conference championship game with no money and beat a Colorado State team that had money,” Martin said. “They didn’t have a ton, but they had a lot more than I did.
“But we have come a long way since we left the field here. I was on a mission. We've raised money. We're trying to become a player in the G5. We’re not there yet. But we're trying to head that way.”
Sometimes, there’s nothing Miami can do to keep a player. Martin said Trick, a first-team All-MAC selection who had 8.5 sacks this season, is “getting million-dollar offers.”
If it isn’t money, it might be prior relationships. Powell, the long snapper, is transferring to Auburn, where former RedHawks staffer Jacob Bronowski just became the special-teams coach.
(This intel comes from Martin. The portal doesn’t officially open until Jan. 2. But if you don’t think deals are being consummated before then, well, I don’t know what to tell you.)
Whatever the reason — it could be the desire for playing time, too — Martin holds no grudges. If anything, he feels gratitude for the time he and those players spent together.
“My really good guys that move on, they did great things for me,” Martin said. “So I'm going to be mad at those kids that helped me win games? Helped me get to MAC championships? Helped me get to bowl games? Helped me get to Arizona?”
Tradeoffs
Martin also finds it hypocritical to criticize players for switching schools when coaches do it all the time. His offensive coordinator, Pat Welsh, is headed to Colorado State.
Martin is both happy and sad about this development. He’s happy because one of his aides is moving up in the world. He’s sad because he’s known Welsh since he was a student assistant under Martin at Grand Valley State in 2008.
“That one hurts more than any players. He’s family,” Martin said. “I can get another great coach. Can I get another guy that I've had an 18-year relationship (with), known him since he was in college?
“But I'm excited for him too. ... This was his time to move on, and he's excited about trying to go do his own thing.”
Miami (Ohio) head coach Chuck Martin gets his second cooler bath of the night from his players as the clock ticks down on the RedHawks’ win over Colorado State in the Arizona Bowl, Dec. 28, 2024, in Tucson.
Replacing staff members is just one of the tasks head coaches must undertake in December. They’re also recruiting new players and re-recruiting current players — the latter occupying more time than ever as agents have pervaded the process.
If they’re lucky, coaches also are prepping their teams — or whatever’s left of them — for bowl games.
Martin said he’s “worked harder the last two weeks than I've worked my whole life” — days that start at 7 a.m. and end at 11 p.m. He barely has time to call his wife.
“Do I wish it was like it used to be? Probably. It’d make my job a lot easier,” Martin said shortly after the Arizona Bowl participants were announced. “But ... it's still the greatest game in the world, and I'm still at one of the most wonderful places in the world.
“Yeah, it's a little chaotic nowadays. It's really chaotic this month. It's a crazy month. But on my worst day, I'm the head football coach of Miami (Ohio) University, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.”
