What LJ Martin Needs to Do to Become BYU's All-Time Leading Rusher in 2026

Since LJ Martin stepped on BYU's campus, he has made a big impact for the BYU offense. Despite being part of a crowded running back room in 2023 and enrolling in the summer, he led the Cougars in rushing as a true freshman.

In three years at BYU, Martin has led the Cougars in rushing in all three seasons. In 2026, he has the chance to be the first player to lead BYU in rushing four consecutive years - and that's not the only record Martin could set in 2026.

From 2023-2025, Martin tallied 2,541 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry, including a career high 5.5 yards per carry in 2025.

Going into the 2026 season, Martin has a chance to become the most productive running back in program history. Martin needs 1,360 rushing yards to surpass Jamaal Williams as BYU's all-time leading rusher. In 2025, Martin had 1,305 yards. If he replicates his 2025 season in 2026, he will be knocking on the door of the rushing record.

On paper, Martin has a really good opportunity to beat the record if he stays healthy. Last season, defenses knew that BYU wanted to run the football first. With a true freshman under center, it really wasn't until mid-sesaon that BYU let Bear Bachmeier air it out. Still, Martin averaged over 100 rushing yards per game.

In 2026, we expect Bear Bachmeier to be a much-improved quarterback after watching him in Spring Camp. Bachmeier was consistently on time and on target, and he drew praise from the BYU coaching staff. He looked like an entirely different quarterback since the last time we saw him in a camp setting in 2025 Fall Camp. Bachmeier's growth should lighten the box and allow Martin to find more running lanes.

At the conclusion of Spring Camp, Martin told BYU On SI that he is aware of the record, but that's not his primary focus.

"I look at [the record] just because other people tell me, but I mean they're not a main focus of mine. If it happens, it happens....I just go out there and give it my all, and whatever happens happens. I mean, there's a lot of things that are out of my control, so just, just leaving it all out there and just going out there having fun, just playing football. I mean that's really what I love.

To achieve the record, Martin would have to surpass BYU running backs coach Harvey Unga who currently ranks second in BYU history with just under 3,500 career yards. Martin says that Unga has been in his ear about breaking the record. "Harvey's been telling me since I got here, 'Yeah, you're gonna break my record'...It's not my main goal."

What Martin Would Need to Do to Break the Record

To break the record, Martin's availability will be just as important as his productivity. Martin played in 13 of BYU's 14 games last season, and he finished 12 out of 14 games. Staying healthy - or least healthy enough to continue playing on an injured shoulder - was critical to his breakout junior campaign.

In the table below, we outline how many yards Martin would need to average per game to become BYU's all-time leading rusher.

Games Played	Yards Per Game
14 Games	97 yards per game
13 Games	104 yards per game
12 Games	113 yards per game
11 Games	123 yards per game
10 Games	136 yards per game
9 Games	151 yards per game
8 Games	170 yards per game

Realistically, Martin would need to play at least 11 games to break the record. In terms of Power Four running backs, Missouri's Ahmad Hardy led the country with 126.8 yards per game. In 12 full games games played (in other words, excluding the Iowa State game where Martin left the game in the first quarter), Martin averaged 107.5 yards per game in 2025.

BYU All-Time Leading Rushers

Regardless of what happens in 2026, Martin will end his career in the top 10 of career rushing yards at BYU. Martin ranks ninth in program history with over 2,500 rushing yards. He is only 680 yards away from surpassing Curtis Brown which would put him in the top three in program history and just behind current running backs coach Harvey Unga.

Jamaal Williams - 3,901
Harvey Unga - 3,455
Curis Brown - 3,221
Jamal Willis - 2,970
Tyler Allgeier - 2,904
Taysom Hill - 2,815
Lakei Heimuli - 2,710
Jeff Blanc - 2,663
LJ Martin - 2,541
Luke Staley - 2,493

Players of Martin's caliber are very rare. It's especially rare that he will start and end his career at the same school: BYU. BYU will lean heavily on Martin to carry them to another Big 12 title game appearance.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X and Facebook for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google