Khobie Martin’s redshirt freshman season stats are a reflection of both his and the team’s dominance in 2025.
The Fishers, Ind. product entered the season as IU’s fourth-string back and spent most of it in a third-string mop-up role after Lee Beebe, Jr. was injured.
Despite limited action, Martin’s 505 rushing yards in 2025 would have led the IU team in several seasons: 2023, 2010, 2006, 1984, 1983, 1981, and several years before that. He produced the most rushing yards by an Indiana freshman since Stevie Scott III in 2018 — and that was on just 78 carries (6.5 yards per carry).
Although he’s really just getting started at Indiana, Martin has already come a long way.
Heading into his senior season at Fisher H.S., Martin had no Power Five scholarship offers and was committed to Miami (Ohio).
IU coach Tom Allen gave him an opportunity in the Big Ten with an Indiana offer in Sept. 2023 — and Martin jumped on the chance.
In just two-and-a-half years, Martin has gone from Group of Five recruit to a national champion.
But his path wasn’t so clear later in 2023, when Allen was fired just a couple months after Martin flipped his commitment from Miami to IU.
“Committed to coach Allen, I didn’t really know what was going to happen, they were coming off a losing season,” Martin said. “Head coaches, especially nowadays, coaches, they switch up a little bit. And so, we heard Coach Cig coming in, it was just like, okay, this is a dude who will help us and lead us to become a winning team.”
But Cignetti pulled the offers of several of Allen’s class of 2024 commits, and Martin didn’t initially know how the 2023 coaching change would impact him. He got a visit at Fishers H.S. from Curt Cignetti and defensive line coach Pat Kuntz, who plays a significant role in in-state recruiting.
Martin learned immediately Cignetti was a no nonsense head coach.
“He (Cignetti) was just looking at me up-and-down, just evaluating me. I already knew from then on it was serious with him,” Martin said of that first meeting.
Both sides saw the fit, but Martin was buried on the depth chart as a true freshman in 2024. He played in two games and had 14 carries for 73 yards.
But after showing significant flashes of potential last season that Martin has carried into the spring, Cignetti was unusually effusive in his praise for the third-year back.
“Khobie Martin has really taken a step,” Cignetti said Thursday. “He’s improved as much, or more so, as anyone in that first recruiting class. And every time he has an opportunity, he takes advantage of it. He practices really hard. He runs with good pad level. He’s a load. Does a nice job catching, but it’s important to me, very consistent. I really like him a lot.”
Cignetti placing Martin at the top of IU’s 2024 recruiting class is no small thing. That group includes several players who have seen larger roles to this point — wide receiver Charlie Becker, defensive linemen Mario Landino and Daniel Ndukwe, and offensive lineman Adedamola Ajani.
Martin’s time to shine is coming in September if he can continue on his current path. He projects to be part of a three-headed monster at running back this fall alongside Beebe, Jr. and Boston College transfer Turbo Richard.
With three years of eligibility remaining, Martin appears to be on track for stardom.
He’s come a long way from uncertain times in 2023, and already experienced the unimaginable at a school he says used to bring basketball to mind first.
“Obviously, we just won a national championship, and so it was a great decision to stay at IU,” Martin said.
God’s plan ☝🏾 pic.twitter.com/WwHc4H3nwo
— Khobie Martin #28 #IUFB (@khobie_martin) April 8, 2026
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