Football is a game that promotes family, so Syracuse head coach Dino Babers’s recent hire at quarterback coach makes perfect sense.
On February 3, Syracuse announced that Kirk Martin, a long-time Texas high school football coach and Dino Babers’s in-law, has been hired as QB coach. Martin recently spent ten seasons at the helm of Manvel High School (TX), leading the team to an impressive 108-25 record. In twelve seasons as a head coach, Martin has collected a 115-39 record. Prior to becoming a head coach, Martin spent thirteen seasons as an assistant at five different schools, notably Odessa-Permian, made famous by the 2004 movie Friday Night Lights.
Martin’s hire seemingly will extend Syracuse’s presence in Texas, a state in which they already have two commits this recruiting cycle, quarterback Chance Amie and linebacker Tre Allison.
Martin was the first head coach in Manvel program history, eventually building the team into a powerhouse, with eight straight playoff appearances, highlighted by state championship game berths in 2011 and 2017. Manvel enjoyed their most successful season in 2017, starting the season with a 14-game winning streak, only to be upended 53-49 in the Class 5A Division 1 state title game. For his efforts, Martin was named the 2017 Texan Live Coach of the Year.
At Syracuse, Martin will direct a group led by rising senior Eric Dungey, and redshirt freshman Tommy DeVito, who are set to compete for the starting quarterback position. Dungey has recently ditched the walking boot on his right foot, two months after surgery was performed to fix an injury that forced Dungey out of the final three games of the season.
Chance Amie, previously mentioned above, enrolled early at Syracuse, but is likely heading for a redshirt as the guarterback position has become crowded recently.
CuseNation.com, of Rivals, was the first to report the hire of Martin last week.
