By Jonathan Smyers
Tyler Martin, is currently an inside linebacker for the undefeated UMass Minutemen. He has been spectacular the last two seasons and could see his name get called in April during the NFL draft. But before all of that, his football beginnings started at Leary Field in Acton.
Tyler played all of Pop Warner football here in Acton. He was a big kid and always played with the highest weight classes. Once he got to 6th grade, he started playing for A team, which is predominately 8th graders. In 8th grade he led his team to the Eastern Mass finals playing quarterback and linebacker. After 8th grade,Tyler transferred to a private school called BB&N (Buckingham Brown and Nichol’s School) and re-classed. T-Mart then received an offer as an 8th grader from the University of Michigan. Defensive coordinator Don Brown, who was a Massachusetts native and worked for the Michigan Wolverines, knew Tyler’s talents and gave him an offer. But years later the coach moved to the University of Arizona so, in 2021 he officially decided to go play for the Wildcats.
Tyler didn’t see any time on the field his freshman year at Arizona. Months after the season started, in December, Tyler transferred to UMass Amherst. UMass, in 2011, was an FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) school, a tier below the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) level. They would dominate the FCS, but once they moved up to FBS, it didn’t look good for them. But in Tyler’s redshirt freshman year, he saw playing time, recording 14 tackles during the 2023 season. In 2024, Tyler moved up the depth chart even more, tallying 27 tackles. Then 2025 happened. The Minutemen were horrible, with a disgusting record of 0-12 holding the metaphorical dunce cap for the worst team in football, but Tyler showed he’s one of the best backers in the MAC (Mid America Conference), as he recorded 104 tackles and a pick six. Tyler achieved 3rd team all MAC linebacker and the Michael Boland inspirational award following the 2025 season.
Even though UMass was the worst team in football last year, their recruiting class has flipped the switch for the Minuteman. In the 2026 season, the Minutemen added quarterback Pop Watson, who is another Mass-born player from Springfield. Even though the majority of these recruits are not from Mass these guys have dominated. A 4-2 start. If Tyler continues producing like he is and the Minutemen keep winning, who knows? He could be the first player from Acton to ever get drafted into the NFL.
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