Over the course of his final 2 seasons with Lewisville (Tx.) High School, Damien Martinez ran for 3,168 yards and 48 touchdowns. As a senior, Martinez averaged 8.3 yards per carry. That’s according to his MaxPreps page.

How do you replace BJ Baylor? Signing a running back like Martinez is a good place to start.

Oregon State signed Martinez on Wednesday. The 3-star back from Texas is the 45th-rated player at his position, but coach Jonathan Smith liked what he saw plenty.

“We think Damien’s going to be physical. Good size. He’ll be here in January,” Smith said on the Pac-12 Network Wednesday. “He’s not slow. Just because he can make the game physical and he likes to carry it inside, which fits our offense. This guy can run, now. I think we can get him the ball out of the backfield.

“What I appreciated about him too was his deep desire for football, he loves being around it, he loves studying it, he loves watching it, he loves to talk about it, he’s all about ball. The size in combination with his speed, a love of football, (he’s a) great get for the Beavers.”

With Baylor set to close out his 5th year with the program in Oregon State’s bowl game against Utah State, it seems likely the nearly-1,400-yard rusher will be moving on after the season. Should the Beavers hope to continue climbing in what would be Smith’s 5th full season at the helm, it’ll need a back to replace Baylor. Sounds like Martinez has a decent shot.