Oklahoma State football: Could Tay Martin be the next great OSU receiver?

Cowboys wide receiver Tay Martin made obvious in Week 4 what many Oklahoma State football fans had predicted early in the 2021 season: the OSU offense relies on the 6-foot-3 senior to hum efficiently, to move the ball, and to, of course, score points.

His big-play antics could help him become the next in line for OSU’s tradition of producing great wide receivers — a single-season’s worth of greatness that could measure up to Rashaun Woods, Justin Blackmon, Dez Bryant, Tylan Wallace, or Hart Lee Dykes.

Martin was the star of the show in the Cowboys’ 31-20 win against Kansas State to open conference play, accumulating nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in his return from an injury. Stretching the field for the Pokes, Martin provided a true deep-ball threat that the team sorely lacked in its previous two games.

Jaylen Warren has been the star of the show and Spencer Sanders directs the offense, but Oklahoma State football isn’t at its best without Tay Martin.

In the season opener against Missouri State, Martin had six catches for 107 yards and a score before missing the next two weeks with an injury. Without Martin (and several other wide receivers on the depth chart), the Cowboys struggled to move the ball consistently in a sluggish home win against Tulsa and a one-point squeaker on the road against Boise State.

With Martin back in the lineup against the Wildcats, however, OSU looked like a different team.

Against a solid Baylor defense in Week 5, OSU compiled more than 400 yards of offense thanks in part to Martin’s contributions. The Houma, La. native had six catches for 110 yards for a Cowboys offense that didn’t rack up a ton of yards or points (24) but did enough to move the ball at crucial moments in the game. The Cowboys beat the Bears, 24-14.

In the two games without Martin for most or all of the snaps, OSU has averaged only 308 yards and 24.5 points per contest while sputtering in close wins against two non-power conference opponents.

In Martin’s three games of full action, he has tallied 21 catches for 317 yards and two touchdowns.

OSU has had at least one wide receiver finish the season with at least 900 receiving yards as an All-Big 12 performer in each of the past six seasons. With recent standouts like James Washington and Tylan Wallace streaking down the field and hauling in touchdowns, OSU has arguably become a “Wide Receiver U” in terms of the talented pass-catchers that have come through Stillwater.

As a program, OSU has five wide receivers become first-team All-Americans, tied for the most with any other position with running back. Four Cowboys wide receivers currently play in the NFL, too.

This only being Martin’s second season in Stillwater after transferring from Washington State, he won’t be seeing his name on any all-time career lists among OSU wide receiver greats. He could, though, make his mark among Cowboys single-season feats. His value could also be measured by his impact in OSU’s big games, including this upcoming weekend at Texas.

To break the Top 10 all-time best seasons by OSU wide receivers, Martin would need at least 1,211 receiving yards and 75 catches — numbers that he’s capable of reaching even despite the missed action. OSU has seven regular-season games remaining in 2021.

Including his numbers from Washington State, Martin currently has 179 catches for 2,081 receiving yards, which would place him at No. 12 all-time among all OSU wide receivers in terms of career numbers. Adarius Bowman (last played in 2007) is No. 11 with 2,187 career receiving yards.