G.J. Kinne has been a transfer portal maven in his young career as a head coach at Texas State, specifically in the quarterback department. Kinne brought in two transfer quarterbacks last spring semester — Arkansas’ Malik Hornsby followed by Auburn’s T.J. Finley in May.
He did the same this year with JMU’s Jordan McCloud in February, and now Baylor’s R.J. Martinez this past weekend, sources told College Football Network.
Martinez was the first of two Big 12 commitments the Bobcats received this weekend, with Houston linebacker Treylin Payne confirming to the College Football Network that he pledged to the Bobcats after a recent visit.
R.J. Martinez Commits to Texas State
It has been a bit of a saga in the QB room for the Bobcats’ this offseason. First former Arizona QB Jayden de Laura transferred in January to Texas State, prompting T.J. Finley to enter the portal and head to WKU shortly after. Then De Laura withdrew from Texas State after details in a sexual assault civil suit were revealed, prompting pushback from students at the University.
Kinne returned to the portal, bringing in McCloud, the 2023 Sun Belt Player of the Year, just before spring practice. However, even with McCloud penciled in as the starter, the depth behind him at QB was thin, with two freshmen, P.J. Hatter and Brad Jackson.
With spring practice in the rearview mirror, Kinne shored up his QB room with the commitment from Martinez. Out of Westwood High School just north of San Marcos in Austin, Martinez had FBS interest out of high school but opted for FCS program NAU.
He started 19 games for the Lumberjacks, throwing for 4,590 yards, 30 TDs, and 10 INTs. At Baylor, he appeared in three games in his lone season in Waco, going 12-20 for 110 in a reserve role.
It’s unlikely Martinez supplants McCloud as the starter, similar to what Finley did to Hornsby after Finley arrived post-spring ball, but it’s a savvy move by Kinne to hedge his bets at the most important position on the field.
Treylin Payne Commits to Texas State
In a 4-2-5 defense, the Bobcats boasted one of the Sun Belt’s best front sevens, with two ferocious tacklers at inside LB, Brian Holloway and Dan Foster. Holloway graduated, and Foster transferred to Louisville, leaving the Bobcats with some holes to fill.
They were able to recoup some traction at LB with ULM transfer Max Harris and Navarro’s Jordan Smith, but Smith only stayed for spring ball before hitting the portal.
Like Martinez, Payne announced he was in the portal shortly after the conclusion of spring practice. He reported an offer from UTEP but chose the Bobcats this past weekend after visiting San Marcos.
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Originally from Judson High School just south of San Marcos in San Antonio, Payne only started three games but made 24 appearances during his two years with the Cougars, racking up 49 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, a sack, and an interception.
Along with Harris, Payne will compete with returning LBs C.J. Williams and Kenny Haynes for one of two starting LB spots. Payne and Martinez both have two years left to play.
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