Report: LJ Martin out 4-6 weeks, will miss BYU-Notre Dame game
· Yahoo Sports
BYU’s injury luck continues to worsen.
Star Cougars running back LJ Martin will miss the next four to six weeks with a lower body injury, according to a Wednesday report from Pete Thamel of ESPN.
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The injury, which Martin sustained on his second carry against TCU last weekend, will sideline him for BYU’s nationally-televised prime-time matchup with Notre Dame on Oct. 17 in Provo.
Sources: No. 8 BYU’s star tailback, LJ Martin, will be out for at least a month with a lower body injury he suffered against TCU. He was the Big 12 offensive player of the year in 2025. He’ll miss four to six weeks, including the home against No. 3 Notre Dame on Oct. 17. pic.twitter.com/hsDEEUz9Ri
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 7, 2026
BYU had already ruled Martin out for Friday’s game against Iowa State in its Big 12-mandated availability report released Tuesday night.
The reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, Martin has rushed for 344 yards and three touchdowns thus far in 2026, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. While he’s missed six games across the past three seasons due to various injuries, this current setback will likely be the longest health-related absence of Martin’s career.
Since debuting with the Cougars in 2023, Martin has racked up 2,885 yards on the ground to rank No. 6 all-time on the program leaderboard.
Now, without its top offensive skill player for the foreseeable future, BYU will turn to reserve running backs Journee Tonga, Preston Rex and others to fill in for Martin, with quarterback Bear Bachmeier slated for a heavier rushing workload as well.
In 111 non-Martin carries this season, the Cougars have run for 598 yards at an average of 5.4 yards per attempt and 10 touchdowns.