Football
- Title:
- Secondary
Southeastern Conference veteran Willie Martinez, who owns more than 30 years of coaching experience and developed numerous NFL Draft picks, enters his ninth season at Tennessee in 2025.Â
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THE MARTINEZ FILE
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Born: Feb. 21, 1963
Hometown: Hollywood Hills, Florida
Education: Miami, 1985
Wife: Kim
Children: Christina, Ashley, William
COACHING HISTORY
1985-86: Miami (Fla.), Graduate Assistant
1988: Bethune-Cookman, Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers
1989-90: Boca Raton (Fla.) High School, Secondary
1991: Olympic Heights (Fla.) High School, Defensive Coordinator/Secondary
1992-93: Grand Valley State, Defensive Coordinator/Secondary
1994: Central Michigan, Secondary
1995-96: UCF, Defensive Coordinator/Secondary
1997: Eastern Michigan, Secondary
1998-99: Central Michigan, Secondary
2000: Central Michigan, Assistant Head Coach/Secondary
2001-04: Georgia, Secondary
2005-09: Georgia, Defensive Coordinator/Secondary
2010-11: Oklahoma, Secondary
2012: Auburn, Secondary
2013-16: Tennessee, Assistant Head Coach/Secondary
2017: Cincinnati, Cornerbacks
2018-20: UCF, Assistant Head Coach/Secondary
2021-present: Tennessee, Secondary
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (1)
1983 – Miami (player)
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS (7)
2019 AAC – UCF (assistant head coach/secondary)
2010 Big 12 – Oklahoma (secondary)
2005 SEC – Georgia (defensive coordinator/secondary)
2002 SEC – Georgia (secondary)
1994 MAC – Central Michigan (secondary)
1992 MIFC – Grand Valley State (defensive coordinator/secondary)
1988 MEAC – Bethune-Cookman (quarterbacks/wide receivers)
POSTSEASON APPEARANCES AS A COACH (24)
2024 CFP First Round –Tenn
2024 Citrus Bowl – TennesseeÂ
2022 Orange Bowl – Tennessee
2021 Music City Bowl – Tennessee
2020 Boca Raton Bowl – UCF
2019 Gasparilla Bowl – UCF
2019 Fiesta Bowl – UCF
2016 Music City Bowl - Tennessee
2016 Outback Bowl – Tennessee
2015 TaxSlayer Bowl – Tennessee
2011 Insight Bowl – Oklahoma
2011 Fiesta Bowl – Oklahoma
2009 Independence Bowl – Georgia
2009 Capital One Bowl – Georgia
2008 Sugar Bowl – Georgia
2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl – Georgia
2006 Sugar Bowl – Georgia
2005 Outback Bowl – Georgia
2004 Capital One Bowl – Georgia
2003 Sugar Bowl – Georgia
2001 Music City Bowl – Georgia
1994 Las Vegas Bowl - Central Michigan
1987 Fiesta Bowl – Miami
1986 Sugar Bowl – Miami
BOWL GAME APPEARANCES AS A PLAYER (2)
1985 Fiesta Bowl – Miami
1984 Orange Bowl – Miami
NFL PLAYERS COACHED
DB Kamal Hadden, Kansas City Chiefs, 2024
DB Gabe Jeudy-Lally, Tennessee Titans, 2024Â
DB Jaylen McCollough, Los Angeles Rams, 2024
DB Alontae Taylor, New Orleans Saints, 2022
DB Theo Jackson, Tennessee Titans, 2022Â
DB Kenneth George Jr., Tennessee Titans, 2022Â
DB Richie Grant, Atlanta Falcons, 2021
DB Aaron Robinson, New York Giants, 2021Â
DB Tay Gowan, Arizona Cardinals, 2021Â
DB Micah Abernathy, Minnesota Vikings, 2019
DB Rashaan Gaulden, Carolina Panthers, 2018Â
DB Emmanuel Moseley, San Francisco 49ers, 2018Â
DB Cameron Sutton, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2017Â
DB Justin Coleman, Seattle Seahawks, 2015
DB Aaron Colvin, Jacksonville Jaguars, 2014Â
DB Shawn Williams, Cincinnati Bengals, 2013Â
DB Sanders Commings, Kansas City Chiefs, 2013Â
LB Cornelius Washington, Chicago Bears, 2013Â
DB Bacarri Rambo, Washington, 2013Â
DB Jamell Fleming, Arizona Cardinals, 2012Â
DB Brandon Boykin, Philadelphia Eagles, 2012Â
DE DeAngelo Tyson, Baltimore Ravens, 2012
DB Quinton Carter, Denver Broncos, 2011Â
DB Jonathan Nelson, St. Louis Rams, 2011Â
LB Rennie Curran, Tennessee Titans, 2010Â
DT Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals, 2010Â
DB Reshad Jones, Miami Dolphins, 2010Â
DT Jeff Owens, Philadelphia Eagles, 2010Â
DE Kade Weston, New England Patriots, 2010Â
DB Asher Allen, Minnesota Vikings, 2009Â
DT Corvey Irvin, Carolina Panthers, 2009Â
DE Jarius Wynn, Green Bay Packers, 2009Â
LB Marcus Howard, Indianapolis Colts, 2008Â
DB Paul Oliver, San Diego Chargers, 2007
DE Quentin Moses, Oakland Raiders, 2007Â
DE Charles Johnson, Carolina Panthers, 2007
DB Tim Jennings, Indianapolis Colts, 2006Â
DB Greg Blue, Minnesota Vikings, 2006Â
DB Demario Minter, Cleveland Browns, 2006Â
DT Kedric Golston, Washington, 2006
DB Thomas Davis, Carolina Panthers, 2005
DB Sean Jones, Cleveland Browns, 2004
DB Bruce Thornton, Dallas Cowboys, 2004Â
DB Terreal Bierria, Seattle Seahawks, 2002Â
DB Jermaine Phillips, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2002Â
DB Tim Wansley, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2002
* - year listed is year to the NFLÂ
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Martinez has produced six defensive back draft picks over the last five NFL Drafts combined, which is tied for fifth in the nation among coaching staffs over that span.
In total as both a coach and player, Martinez has been a part of 26 postseason appearances and six conference championships, including multiple SEC titles at Georgia. He played on Miami’s 1983 national championship team. Over the last 21 seasons, Martinez has mentored 23 all-conference selections and eight All-America performers. The 2025 season will be his 19th in the SEC.
In 2025, Martinez’s unit was phenomenal and set the tone for a lockdown defense that ranked in the FBS top 25 in nine different categories. Tennessee issued just 4.56 yards per play (fifth in the nation) and 293.2 yards per game (sixth in the nation). The Vols limited 10 of their opponents to under 20 points and reached the program’s first College Football Playoff after compiling a 10-2 regular season. The pass defense concluded the regular season ranked second in the SEC, allowing only 178.7 points per contest in those 12 games.
Martinez recruited and developed Jermod McCoy, who in his first season on Rocky Top, became a second-team All-American and a Coaches First-Team All-SEC recipient. The Oregon State transfer ranked fourth in the SEC in passes defended with 13, and he teamed with safety Will Brooks to tie for fourth in the league in interceptions with four. Brooks, a walk-on, made multiple clutch plays all season, sealing another victory over Alabama with a fourth-quarter interception in the final two minutes and scampering 85 yards on an interception return against NC State.
Martinez’s shutdown corner duo of McCoy and Rickey Gibson III catapulted the Vols’ defense to the best in the SEC at limiting explosive plays. In 2024, Tennessee led the SEC in allowing the fewest explosive plays: 30+ yards (12), 40+ yards (4), 50+ yards (1), 60+ yard plays (0), 70+ yard plays (0) and 80+ yard plays (0). The accolades continued with Brooks becoming a Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist, and starting STAR back Boo Carter earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors.
Martinez’s return in 2021 saw defensive backs Theo Jackson and Alontae Taylor enjoy the best season of their careers before embarking on the NFL. Jackson, playing the Vols’ STAR position, earned second-team All-SEC honors by the league’s coaches after finishing with 78 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 12 pass breakups and one interception returned for a touchdown. He tied for the SEC lead among defensive backs in tackles for loss and ranked second in the SEC and top 15 in the nation in pass breakups.
Meanwhile, Taylor registered 60 tackles, six pass breakups and two picks at cornerback, including one for a touchdown that helped lift the Vols past No. 18 Kentucky on the road. Taylor also recorded an interception as an invitee in the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl.Â
Under Martinez’s leadership, Tennessee produced multiple defensive back draft picks in the first six rounds of a draft for the first time since 2000 when Jackson and Taylor heard their names called in April 2022. Taylor went pick No. 49 overall in the second round to the New Orleans Saints, while Jackson’s hometown Tennessee Titans took him in the sixth round at pick No. 204. The Vols were one of only three SEC programs and eight teams nationally to produce multiple defensive backs in the entire 2022 NFL Draft.
The 2022 season saw Tennessee post 11 victories and cap the year with a win over ACC champion Clemson. Martinez’s unit overcame multiple injuries throughout the year, and the Vols still managed to force the second-most turnovers in the SEC with 22 and rank top four in the league in interceptions with 11. Senior safety Trevon Flowers was selected as a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award.
In 2023, the Vols’ secondary served as a critical part of the defense’s success. Tennessee tallied 12 interceptions, which ranked third in the SEC, and held opponents to the fourth-lowest passer rating in the league at 129.79.
Senior cornerback Kamal Hadden made the biggest jump of his career and became one of the top lockdown corners in the SEC under Martinez’s tutelage. Despite missing the final five games of the year to shoulder surgery, Hadden ranked fourth in the SEC in passes defended with 11, and he registered three interceptions. Hadden did not allow a touchdown pass the entire season and produced a 90.4 coverage grade according to Pro Football Focus, which was fifth in the nation and second in the SEC.
Three of the Vols’ primary starters in the secondary in 2023 reached the NFL. Hadden was invited to the NFL Combine and then selected in the sixth round (pick No. 211) of the 2024 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally and safety Jaylen McCollough signed free agent deals following the draft with the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams, respectively.
Martinez also served as the Volunteers’ assistant head coach and secondary coach from 2013-16, helping oversee a team that included All-Americans Cameron Sutton and Evan Berry in 2015. During his previous UT tenure, the Vols culminated back-to-back nine-win seasons with victories in the 2016 Outback Bowl and 2016 Music City Bowl.
Martinez mentored Sutton, who became a shutdown corner and set the school career record for passes defended (37) before being selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Martinez also coached Emmanuel Moseley for three seasons, including a sophomore campaign in which he led the team with 11 pass breakups. Moseley went on to an NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers and then signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Lions in March 2023.
Martinez’s defensive backs averaged over 13 interceptions per season during his first stint at Tennessee, and his 2014 squad notched 16 picks to rank No. 15 nationally and third in the SEC. Nigel Warrior (2016) and Todd Kelly Jr. (2014) both earned spots on the SEC All-Freshman Team under Martinez’s tutelage.
In his first season at UT, Martinez’s defense forced five Western Kentucky turnovers in a span of six plays over five consecutive series, including an NCAA-record four turnovers on consecutive defensive plays. The highlights came on back-to-back pick sixes by Justin Coleman and Sutton.
Martinez was a member of Josh Heupel’s coaching staff as UCF’s assistant head coach and secondary coach from 2018-20. The Knights produced a stellar 28-8 record during his tenure and earned a berth to three bowl games. He helped UCF continue its success during the 2018 season as the Knights completed its second-straight undefeated regular season, won another American Athletic Conference Championship, secured a berth in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl and rose as high as seventh in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the Amway Coaches poll.
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With Martinez on staff, the Knights defense allowed just 22.7 points per game in 2018 and ranked sixth in the nation with 28 forced turnovers. UCF racked up 8.2 tackles for loss per game – fifth-most in the nation – while tallying 29 sacks. Sophomore defensive back Richie Grant led the way with six interceptions, which was tops in the AAC and No. 3 in the nation. Second-half adjustments marked a key to the Knights’ success as opponents scored just 8.5 points per second half, including 3.3 points per third quarter.
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Martinez mentored three defensive backs to all-conference honors in 2018, including AAC First-Team selections Grant and Nevelle Clarke. Grant led the Knights with 109 tackles, had six interceptions and forced three fumbles from the safety position. Clarke had 46 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and a team-high 13 pass breakups. Cornerback Brandon Moore also earned honorable mention all-conference accolades with 43 tackles, one interception and 10 pass breakups in 2018.
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The 2019 season saw Grant claim a second straight first-team all-conference honor from the AAC, while Clarke honorable mention accolades. Meanwhile, nickelback Aaron Robinson captured second-team all-league honors and was a Pro Football Focus honorable mention All-American.
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Martinez helped push the Knights to a No. 34 total defensive ranking in 2019—59 ranking spots better than in 2017, the year before he arrived in Orlando. The UCF pass defense yardage average fell below 200 yards for the first time since 2014—as the Knights improved their NCAA ranking in that category by 83 slots over two seasons.
The UCF secondary helped the squad lead the nation in tackles for loss per game in 2019 (9.08), while ranking third in team pass efficiency defense (108.86) and fifth in third-down conversion defense (0.293). UCF’s passing yards allowed figure in 2019 (199.5) marked the best for the Knights since 2014. The defense also ranked third in the nation in passes defended (78) and fifth in opponents' yards per play (4.57). Among AAC teams in 2019, UCF was No. 1 in third-down defense, yards per play allowed and pass efficiency defense. The Knights were second in The American in total defense and third in both scoring defense and rushing defense.Â
Grant and Robinson followed up their outstanding junior campaigns, earning first- and second-team All-AAC honors, respectively during the COVID-19 shortened season of 2020. Grant was also named a finalist for the Thorpe Award.
Martinez’s NFL development was evident as UCF shattered the program record for draft selections in the spring of 2021. A trio of Knight defensive backs were chosen, including two in the first three rounds. Grant was taken in the second round with the 40th overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons, while Robinson got the call in the third round at pick No. 71 by the New York Giants. Cornerback Tay Gowan was selected in the sixth round by the Arizona Cardinals.
Prior to joining Heupel’s UCF staff, Martinez was the cornerbacks coach at Cincinnati in 2017, and he was the secondary coach at Auburn in 2012. Prior to that, he enjoyed a successful two-year stint at Oklahoma from 2010-11 as the defensive backs coach. Martinez helped the Sooners to a 23-5 record and a Big 12 Conference title. He mentored consensus All-America safety Quinton Carter as Oklahoma led the Big 12 in scoring defense (22.1) and finished eighth in the NCAA in pass efficiency defense in 2010. Defensive back Tony Jefferson was the conference’s 2010 Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year and an honorable mention all-league selection under Martinez’s watch.
Martinez got his first taste of the SEC as Georgia's secondary coach from 2001-09. He earned a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2005. He helped the Bulldogs to 90 wins, two SEC titles (2002, ’05), three division crowns, seven bowl victories and six top 10 finishes, including No. 2 in 2007 and No. 3 in 2002.
As Georgia's defensive coordinator from 2005-09, he guided the defense to several national top statistical rankings, including eighth in scoring defense in 2005, fifth in passing defense in 2015, eighth in total defense in 2006 and eighth in sacks in 2007.
Martinez joined the Bulldogs after spending 1998-2000 at Central Michigan as the assistant head coach and secondary coach. The Chippewas led the FBS in pass defense (149.7) in his final year.
He was the secondary coach at Eastern Michigan in 1997, defensive coordinator and secondary coach at UCF from 1995-96, secondary coach Central Michigan in 1994 when the Chippewas won the Mid-American Conference Championship and defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Grand Valley State from 1992-93. CMU reached the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl under Martinez’s watch.
In 1988, Martinez served as the quarterbacks and receivers coach at Bethune-Cookman, helping the Wildcats to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Miami (Fla.), from 1985-86 under Jimmy Johnson.
A native of Hollywood Hills, Florida, Martinez played defensive back for four seasons at Miami, where he won the 1983 national championship and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1985. He was an all-state selection and area defensive player of the year as a standout quarterback and defensive back at Hollywood Hills High School from 1977-81.
Martinez and his wife, Kim, have three children, Christina, Ashley and William.
