ATLANTA – Don’t be surprised if Martel Hight plays offense, defense and special teams in 2025 — all in the same game.
Vanderbilt football is all in on a plan to make Hight a three-way player: not just a defensive back, but a receiver and punt returner too. Hight has been a key corner for two years and was an All-SEC punt returner a year ago.
The Commodores haven’t committed to one usage pattern for Hight. Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea said it could depend on the matchup, the gameplan and how healthy certain position groups are. In hopes of keeping Hight healthy, Lea said he may play less offense if the team is thin at corner. However, Lea said the expectation was for Hight to play in all three phases in every game.
“He was so excited to do it,” said Lea at SEC football media days on July 14. “He’s got the mentality for it. We as coaches have to create the vision for it and make sure we set him up for success.”
Two-way players, let alone three-way players, are rare in college football these days, but Travis Hunter, who played both wide receiver and defensive back at Colorado, won the Heisman Trophy in 2024. Hight could do something Hunter never did, though, as Hunter didn’t play special teams.
“I did it in high school, so I’m really happy that coach Lea has gave me that opportunity to do that,” Hight said. “I’m just trying to stay healthy and continue doing that.”
Hight has had to pay extra attention to his training regimens, whether that’s additional hydration, work in the weight room or extra stretching. There’s no doubt to anyone within the program that Hight has the skillset needed to play both ways, but staying healthy will be the biggest key. Even Hunter, the best two-way player the sport has seen in decades, dealt at times with injuries.
Source link : https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/vanderbilt/2025/07/14/martel-hight-vanderbilt-football-three-way-player/84465078007/
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Publish date : 2025-07-14 21:48:00
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