A former defensive lineman for the Hilltoppers, Kenny Martin returned to The Hill in 2016 and has worked with the defensive tackle position group for the past five seasons.
2020
Martin helped the WKU defense rank eighth in pass yards allowed (177.3), 28th in total yards allowed (348.7) and 41st in points allowed (25.3) per game.
Most notably from the defensive tackle group, redshirt freshman Ricky Barber was named a FWAA Freshman All-American after recording 58 total tackles (26 solo, 32 assisted) – including seven for loss – with four sacks, three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble this season. His 58 total tackles tied for fifth among all FBS defensive lineman regardless of class. According to PFF College, Barber ranked second among all Conference USA defensive tackles with 551 total snaps played. His 30 "stops" topped the charts among those players, while his 27 "total pressures" and 19 "hurries" ranked second. He earned a spot on PFF's National Team of the Week following his 89.4 defensive grade performance at Florida Atlantic.
The other starting defensive tackle, Jeremy Darvin, also had a productive season for the Hilltoppers, with 31 total tackles (17 solo, 14 assisted) – including 5.5 for loss – with three sacks. Darvin and Barber were both voted C-USA Honorable Mention by the league's coaches, while Phil Steele Publications tabbed Barber as a C-USA Second Teamer and Darvin as a C-USA Third Teamer.
Meanwhile, rotational players Jalen Madden, Darius Shipp and Marcus Bragg combined for 39 total tackles (14 solo, 25 assisted) – including 6.5 for loss – three pass deflections and five quarterback hurries.
2019
In his second year as the defensive tackles coach, Martin helped mentor his group into one of the most solid positions on the field, with his players combining for 122 tackles, 12 TFL's and five sacks.
Among those, Jeremy Darvin recorded 22 total tackles, four TFL's, 2.5 sacks and one interception on the season, while Jaylon George had 36 tackles, four TFL's and one forced fumble; both of these players earned Conference USA Honorable Mention. Jalen Madden was also a important member of the defensive line, contributing 31 tackles, two TFL's and one sack, while Ricky Barber was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
As a team, WKU produced a top 25 overall defense, as the Hilltoppers completed one of the best defensive seasons in recent memory. WKU allowed only 20.1 total points per game, which was the lowest mark for the program since 2004 and ranked No. 22 in FBS.
WKU held opponents to a 29.7% rate (51-of-172) on 3rd down attempts, which ranked sixth in FBS and was the lowest mark for the program since a 30.1% rate (49-of-163) on opponent third down tries in 1987. The Hilltoppers ranked third in FBS with only 82 missed tackles all season long. With 835 total plays in 13 games, that equated to about 6.3 per contest and one every 10 snaps. Only Michigan (74) and Air Force (81) had better such numbers.
WKU also ranked among the best in the nation in a handful of other statistics: 15th with 224 first downs allowed, 19th in red zone defense with a scoring rate of 75.8%, 24th in total defense with 335.5 yards allowed per game and 28th with 200 passing yards allowed per game. The Hilltoppers allowed only 142 plays of 10-plus yards all season – which ranked tied for 10th in the country – and was down from 180 such plays WKU allowed in 2018.
Only 38 points allowed in a four-game stretch from Sept. 28 to Oct. 19 were the second-fewest for WKU since 2004, and only 125 points allowed thru the first seven games were the Hilltoppers’ fewest since 2004. In a 20-3 victory over Old Dominion, WKU held the Monarchs to three points, the fewest allowed by the Hilltoppers since 2016, while allowed just 160 total yards, their fifth-fewest since 2007.
In a 17-8 win over Army, WKU held the Black Knights to 208 total yards, their lowest in 40 games, and kept Army in single-digit scoring for the first time in 29 games. In a 45-19 win at Arkansas, the defense held the Razorbacks to just 87 yards through the air, their first time under 100 passing yards since 2014.
2018
Martin's work with the defensive tackle group was well-noted, as he developed Jaylon George into one of the top defensive tackles in C-USA. According to ProFootballFocus.com, George's run defense ranked among the top 20 in all of C-USA as he earned all-conference nomination at the conclusion of the regular season. In the season finale at Louisiana Tech, Martin's defensive tackles shined and helped contribute to a team C-USA era record five sacks - the most against a conference foe since joining the league in 2014.
George, who tallied just three tackles in his first year on The Hill after transferring in from junior college, saw a considerable uptick in production in his second season under Martin's tutelage as he turned in 28 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. George's three sacks were the fourth-most on the roster while his six TFLs were tied for third-most.
Previous
In 2017, Martin’s work with first-time starter Evan Sayner was showing major progress as Sayner was on pace for an All-Conference USA season before an injury sidelined him for the second half of the season. In his place, junior Julien Lewis emerged and grew into a stout run stopper by season’s end, giving the Hilltoppers a promising interior presence heading into 2018.
Senior Chris Johnson earned All-Conference USA honorable mention accolades after leading all WKU defenders in quarterback hurries from his tackle position. The Hilltoppers finished in the top half of C-USA rushing defenses despite losing two of their major run stuffers up front to season ending injuries in Sayner and freshman Jalen Madden.
In 2016, while working with the WKU linebackers, senior Keith Brown set an FBS single-season record for total tackles with 131 en-route to earning All-Conference USA First Team honors along with Pro Football Focus Second Team All-American honors. The Hilltoppers finished the campaign with the No. 2 ranked rushing defense, surrendering just 97.2 yards per game. Linebackers Joel Iyiegbuniwe and T.J. McCollum also added All-C-USA Honorable Mention honors. The Hilltoppers also led the conference in scoring defense as they won their second consecutive league championship and third consecutive bowl game.
A four-year letterman for WKU, Martin played in 48 games with 42 starts from 2009-12 and was a member of WKU’s first-ever FBS bowl team in the 2012 Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl.
Prior to returning to The Hill, Martin was the defensive line coach at the University of Virginia-Wise. Martin also served as the defensive coordinator at Warren Central High School in Bowling Green. He got his start in coaching as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at his former high school, Ocoee High School, in Orlando.
Martin and his wife, the former Tasha Babb, have a daughter, Khloe, and son, Tre.
THE KENNY MARTIN FILE
PERSONAL
Born: March 22, 1990
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
College: WKU, '12
Wife: Tasha
Children: Khloe and Tre
PLAYING CAREER (Defensive Line)
College: WKU (2009-12)
COACHING CAREER
2013: Ocoee High School (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line)
2014: Warren Central High School (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line)
2015: Virginia-Wise (Defensive Line)
2016-17: WKU (Defensive Graduate Assistant)
2018-present: WKU (Defensive Tackles)
BOWL EXPERIENCE
2012: Little Caesar's Pizza (WKU, Player)
2016: Boca Raton (WKU, Coach)
2017: Cure (WKU, Coach)
2019: First Responder (WKU, Coach)
2020: LendingTree (WKU, Coach)
