3 potential landing spots for Oregon State transfer Damien Martinez

Just months after saying he wouldn't be interested in going anywhere else after Jonathan Smith left Oregon State, Damien Martinez is rumored to be heading to the transfer portal when it opens next week.

There will be plenty of suitors lined up for Martinez when he does officially hit the portal next week, but a few stand out as likely landing spots above the rest.

Here are my top three landing spots for the star rusher who finished his Oregon State career with over 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns on 6.1 yards per carry.

3. Colorado Buffaloes

This was a tough one to choose from between Wisconsin and Colorado but I ultimately went with the program that has been known to dominate in the portal. Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes have lived in the portal for the last two seasons and there's a Pac-12 familiarity there so the fit would make sense. Heck, even the Michigan Wolverines would make sense here as Martinez could assume the role of Blake Corum but they still have Donovan Edwards.

Plus, how intriguing would it be for a star running back to join an offense led by Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter? All the Buffaloes truly need is a star running back and Damien Martinez would be just that. He would come in and carry the workload in the backfield immediately, taking pressure off Sanders to do everything with his arm.

I just have a feeling Sanders has already been working to gauge interest here and if that's the case, I wouldn't be shocked to see Martinez give the Buffaloes a legit look.

Oh, and the Big 12 would mean much more exposure for Martinez.