Memphis Tigers linebacker Chandler Martin has been a menace on the football field ever since he joined his youth football team as a 6-year-old.

On his first day of practice, Martin saw the hardest-hitting player on the field and wanted a piece of the action.

“There was this one young man that was just lighting up kids,” Martin’s father, Jeff, recalled. “And after about 10 or 15 minutes, Chandler says, ‘I want to hit him.’ ... From that point on, I said, ‘Yep, I think he might want to play this game.’”

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Chandler was so physical then that when the offensive line struggled, his coach plugged him in at center.

Martin played other sports along the way, including baseball and lacrosse, but football was his bread and butter. He was the leading tackler on every team he played for, and it didn’t matter that he was always a year younger than his teammates.

Martin’s grandmother put him in preschool a year early. Martin also has a December birthday, so he was only 16 when he graduated a semester early from Arabia Mountain High School in Lithonia, Georgia.

Martin, at 208 pounds, didn’t receive his two-star rating until after he committed to East Tennessee State, an FCS program. He spent two seasons at ETSU before transferring to Memphis.

Now 6-foot and 230 pounds, Martin is in his second year with the Tigers and is becoming a legitimate All-America candidate.

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He’s leading the team with 52 tackles, 9½ tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries. Martin also recovered a touchdown in the end zone for a defensive score in Memphis’ Oct. 12 win over South Florida in Orlando and had a game-saving interception in last Saturday’s 52-44 home win against North Texas.

Martin is expected to again be active when the Tigers (6-1,2-1 American Athletic Conference) play host to Charlotte (3-4, 2-1 AAC) for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 26 (11 a.m., ESPNU).

“Took a chance to come to Memphis being a 2-star recruit out of high school,” Martin said.

“Like always, having big dreams to play. It’s crazy how things have turned, and I couldn’t have written this story. It’s just crazy how your life can change in a year or two years.”

Being the younger guy

Martin is the second youngest of five children. His grandmother, Mary, essentially moved in to help raise him from the time he was 18 months old until he was 7 years old.

Mary, who would come to the house on Mondays and leave on Fridays, felt he was ready to attend preschool a year early.

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Being a year younger wasn’t an issue for Martin in the classroom or in sports. He eventually had the option to be put in his proper age group but wasn’t interested in an additional year of high school.

“It’s kind of always been natural for me to play up,” Martin said. “I’ve always been fitting in. Probably would have been one of the better guys in my group.

“So I could see if I stayed back, I could probably be pretty good in that age group. I never really thought about it. I was always just like, ‘Let me be good in the group ahead.’”

Martin also appreciated being able to pick the brains of older kids.

“I’ve always kind of got an opportunity to get some more wisdom and knowledge from the older guys,” Martin said. “I was always hanging out with the older people.

“Hanging out with the younger people, I was like, ‘Nah, I don’t really want to hang out with them because they don’t think like the older guys.’ (That) kind of gave me a different perspective on it.”

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Playing a year ahead didn’t stop Martin from leading ETSU with 99 tackles, including 9½ for loss in 2022. It didn’t prevent him from leading Memphis in tackles with 95 or tying for the most forced fumbles (two) on the team last year, either.

After spending much of his sports career learning from the older guys, it didn’t take Martin long to become someone people looked up to.

His personality, work ethic and football IQ allowed him to gain immediate respect from players and coaches.

When younger teammates scrimmaged last month, Martin stayed behind to help coach the linebackers. His commitment is why he was named a team captain as an underclassman last year.

“What he means to this team as far as leadership, the way he shows up and does what he’s supposed to every single week has been tremendous,” Tigers head coach Ryan Silverfield said. “Not only that, but he’s playing at an extremely high level.”

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Success follows him

Memphis defensive coordinator Jordon Hankins raves about Martin’s ability. But he especially appreciates how Martin leads his teammates. 

“His communication is a lot more next-level,” Hankins said.

“I can’t tell the difference in how he talks to players and how he talks to coaches. And that’s when you sort of figured out a player has arrived: He’s not trying to act a certain way to one group or another. That’s who he is.”

Martin has held on to something his mother, Sherlonda, and father, Jeff, have told their children for years.

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That, according to Jeff Martin, is this: “‘Be authentically you. Don’t compare, condemn, criticize or complain. Be authentically you and realize that the way you do it is the way you do it. You might like what you see in the way other people do things, but you’re good enough. And, with God, all things are possible. So do it the way you would do it with God’s help.”

Even though he plays with a level of intensity that could be a nightmare for quarterbacks, Chandler walks around with a smile that can light up a room. It’s because he’s never taken the support his parents give him for granted.

He grew up with teammates who were less fortunate, and knowing how blessed he was helped create a well-rounded perspective about life.

“When I used to play at the park in my area ... and it’s just like, ‘I have it good,’” Martin said. “There’s nothing to really complain about.”

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Martin has been one of Memphis’ best players ever since he put on a Tigers jersey. Yet he never envisioned his career going the way it has the last two seasons.

“Success follows him because of the extra things that he does,” Hankins said. “Now, obviously he’s a really good football player; no doubt about that. ... It just comes natural to him.”