Tennessee's colorful cornerback finds balance between focus and fun

During the first two years of Justin Martin’s career at Tennessee, the cornerback cutup was off limits to the media.

A larger-than-life character, Martin’s mouth would get him into trouble at times, especially with the previous coaching staff.

Not anymore.

“I’ve (learned) not saying everything you’re thinking,” Martin said smiling on Monday. “That’s my biggest lesson. I had a hard time, if I felt some way then I had to let everybody know.”

Martin still does plenty of yapping out on the practice field, but the gregarious senior has found a happy medium between fun and focus thanks to a fresh start from coach Charlton Warren and a college career Martin knows is rapidly reaching its end.

Confidence and talent have never been the issue for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound corner. Martin has NFL size and skills, but if the former Top-10 junior-college recruit wants to play on Sundays he must tap into a consistency that has eluded him ever since stepping on campus.

“Justin Martin continues to get better,” coach Butch Jones said recently. “I really like how he’s playing with confidence, but also he’s bringing another dynamic to the table and that’s leadership.”

Talk about a change. Leadership and accountability never been traits attributed to Martin during his time on Rocky Top.

Martin, who has just seven pass breakups in his career, played sparingly in 2015 before starting the final six games of the season. He then lost his spot on the depth chart before Tennessee even kicked off against Appalachian State last fall, only to start against Florida and get benched before halftime. The very next week, Martin was suspended for the wild win over Georgia. The Nashville native saw mainly spot-duty the rest of the season.

But that was then. Now, Martin believes he’s a different player.

“It is my last year, so I feel like I got a lot to prove to my teammates,” he said in his first-ever media appearance this spring. “I’ve got a lot to prove to myself. I felt I could have played way better than I did last year.”

Martin took home UT's Most Improved Defensive Player Award following spring practice, and the free-spirit senior has maintained his strong play during training camp. With a new position coach, Martin has learned how to channel his high-energy and generally positive personality into true production. He's a film junkie now and his focus on the details are night and day. His purple hair may be gone, but Martin's colorful personality still shines.

“I wouldn’t say his approach has really changed. He has fun out there,” sophomore wideout Brandon Johnson said.

“His knowledge of the game has upped his play. He did add to his frame. His knowledge, disguising coverages, knowing what’s coming and route combinations. I feel like he’s really doing a great job.”

It’s no secret that the arrival of Warren gave Martin a clean slate and motivated the senior to reinvest in the team. Martin didn’t mesh well with former coach Willie Martinez, and openly voiced his frustrations about the situation in April.

Still, his offseason maturity and renewed focus has allowed him to learn from his previous grievances. Martin is penciled in to start at corner for Tennessee in less than two weeks, but unlike the last two years, he's only concerned about "the now."

“I just control what I can control now,” he said.

“I don’t let one particular play hold over me for the rest of practice or the rest of the game. … I like to control how hard I go everyday and my effort. That’s all I can do.”