The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 61 ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Martin is a wealth advisor and director at MAI Capital in Detroit. PHOTO COURTESY MIKE MARTIN Martin now gets to be on the other side — he's a Michigan supporter. Growing up, he had a dream to play for the Maize and Blue, and a promise he made to himself and his family after sneaking into a practice as a younger person. "The security wasn't that tight back in those days, like it is now," Martin re- called. "We walked in through a back garage door and through that alleyway on the way to The Big House. I was standing next to Jake Long and Mike Hart and watching practice. "I remember telling my mom, 'I'm going to be here doing this one day.' I was in eighth grade. "Then it all happens. It's so cool. You go through it, and then it is our time to give back to the guys. They're going through so much right now with NIL and everything that's changing. "But the thing that's not changing though, is how to be successful. It's just surrounding yourself with good people and always looking to develop yourself and to learn." Martin entered Michigan in 2008 at the start of the Rich Rodriquez era as part of a 20-man class. The Wolver- ines won 15 games over the next three seasons, and Brady Hoke replaced Rod- riguez for his senior campaign. The Wolverines won 11 games in 2011 and beat Ohio State. However, less than 10 of the players he entered with were still on the team. They transferred out or quit playing football. "It was really that 'those who stay' thing. That's life. You can't just jump ship when it's not working out. You committed to this group of men, these people, these coaches, and you have to see it through. "My mom was a big part of that. She didn't let me quit anything from Boy Scouts to playing in the band when I was a kid. And it just continued with me through my life." Being a college football player re- quires a huge commitment. Martin says the next iteration of the U-M football program is wired the right way in that regard. "It's a full-time job," Martin said of training. "It's 365 days, 24/7. You're al- ways thinking, 'How can I be one per- cent better?' "Right now, in the offseason, you've got to have some fun, enjoy some time with your teammates and go play a little golf. You don't want to burn yourself out. But you're always looking for that one percent to get better, and that's just the competitor mindset and nature. "That's why watching Michigan ath- letics is so much fun. These athletes that are a part of these programs want to be the best, want to be coached hard, want to be pushed. They want to be the best in the country." Martin has been very impressed with freshman quarterback Bryce Under- wood. "At the mentorship event, I asked him, 'Why did you pick Michigan over LSU?' And he said, 'I met the people here and just understood what life was going to look like after football.' "I really tip my cap to him. He's a young guy, he hasn't even taken a snap here, and he's thinking about that. He said, 'Life in Baton Rouge, I just knew it wouldn't be the same. Here, this is a game-changer. I met [prominent alum] Nate Forbes, I met [Oracle founder] Larry Ellison and I met all the other peo- ple, [head man] Sherrone [Moore] and coaches and alumni like yourself — and this is what I want to be a part of.'" ❑ ❱ The Mike Martin File Michigan Accomplishments: Played at U-M from 2008-11 … Team captain as a senior … Two-time second-team All-Big Ten performer (2010 and 2011)... Part of team that won 11 games and beat Ohio State in 2011 … Earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2012. Professional Accomplishments: Third-round NFL Draft pick in 2012 (No. 82 overall) of the Tennessee Titans … Played in Nashville from 2012-15 … Spent 2016 offseason with Philadel- phia Eagles … Received his MBA from the University of Miami in 2016 … Financial advisor at Wealth Strategies Financial Group (2017-24) … Wealth advisor and director at MAI Capital (2024-present) in Detroit. Favorite Michigan Memory: "Winning in 2011 and beating Ohio State my senior year. Being down there with Denard Robinson. … There's a picture of me picking up Shoelace with Taylor Lewan and the students coming down there and everything. That was just awesome." Family: Carin (wife), Sara (daughter) and John (son).