EA Sports College Football 25 might be this summer’s hottest video game.
If you pick up a copy, and you decide to start by playing as the University of New Mexico Lobos, you’ll likely see a former Pojoaque Elk in the game: D’sean Martinez will get to be part of a game he played as a child.
As part of his new roster spot with UNM as a cornerback, Martinez was offered $600 and a free copy of the game in exchange for his name, image and likeness. Getting to this point, the beginning of his dream, has been quite the journey over the last two years. From leaving a Division II team to walking on with the Lobos.
“I would never have thought, the next time they make a video game of it, I’d be in it,” Martinez said. “Especially when people can play and be me, that’s definitely cool.”
To earn his spot as a walk-on to the football team, he spent an entire fall with nothing but determination and faith. As he spent hours every day on the field and in the gym, he had no guarantees it would ever amount to a spot on the team.
“I laid there sometimes at night, just wondering if I was good enough to play,” Martinez said. “I just had God there to back me up. He was always pushing me. I had to buy into myself.”
Hearing him speak, though, his confidence seems to have hardly wavered. He knew his own abilities, and trusted in God to guide the way.
“The coaches liked me, they liked my work ethic, they said I was most in shape,” Martinez said. “It was always my dream to play for UNM.”
As a Lobo fan, he hardly even considered trying to get to New Mexico State University, even if they had been interested. He loved the atmosphere and went to games when possible, growing up.
The 2022 Pojoaque graduate certainly looks the part: 6 feet tall, big and strong, and lightning-quick. He said his 40-yard-dash time is between 4.6 and 4.7 seconds. He now trains with personalized Division-I trainers, is on a strict daily nutritional program, and sprints everyday. He makes it a point to go beyond what is asked of him in practice.
Martinez grew up in Hernandez, but was always part of the Pojoaque school district, where his mother, Cassie, works. And he was part of the initial class of the Pojoaque Crush youth football team.
While D’sean Martinez came of age in a basketball town, football was always his sport; his mother said it was since he was one or two years old, and called it an “escape” for him.
D’sean Martinez graduated from Pojoaque in 2022 and signed with New Mexico Highlands, seeing it as the right fit at the time given his opportunities.
“I really was hoping that he would take the opportunity to go out of state,” Cassie Martinez said. “But I think it was one of those — I want to stay a little closer to home.”
But at Highlands, he never found his footing in the program or with the coaching staff. He was with the team for fall camp, but not during the season, though he stayed at the school. Instead, he spent the spring practicing with former teammate Anthony Meloy Chavez, often utilizing the Pojoaque football field.
Martinez said he later learned that UNM had been interested in him in high school, but a miscommunication meant they did not see the interest from him (he thinks the coach hid their message).
Around April 2023, he got in touch with the program at UNM, and ultimately transferred schools. Due to the transfer, he had to sit out the season. And he missed the walk-on tryouts. But he stuck with the team for a chance, working with the equipment manager.
He decided he was going to play with the team no matter what it took. He practiced every day with the team, biding his time and trying to impress the coaches.
And then, a potential disaster struck. On Nov. 25, 2023, UNM announced that they were firing coach Danny Gonzales after a 4-8 season. Would all of Martinez’s hopes end with Gonzales’ tenure? Would a new coaching staff see his hard work and progress toward the field, or would he fall through the cracks?
That evening, Cassie Martinez drove to Albuquerque to comfort her son, who was in tears.
“Me and him sat there for hours that evening, just talking and praying,” she said. “His passion, his drive, I don’t know how to say it. But he took it upon himself.”
As soon as freshly-hired coach Bronco Mendenhall arrived on campus, D’sean Martinez tracked him down and secured a quick meeting. Their relationship blossomed, and he secured a tryout.
“Come to find out, they really like me a lot,” D’sean Martinez said.
He now has a strong relationship with defensive backs coach Charles Mack, who pushes him to get better. He likes the coaching staff’s experience at Virginia, a top-conference program.
In January, Mendenhall gave him a personal call, telling him that they love his work ethic, and are excited to have him on the team. He made it. Through the spring, he practiced with the team with a full (non-scholarship) roster spot.
“I can’t even explain how proud I am of him,” Cassie Martinez said. “DJ is a very special kid. He’s built different, it’s really crazy. He just has this personality that he isn’t going to stop, and he’s going to continue to push for what he wants. I’ve had so many coaches just tell me what kind of person and what kind of athlete he is.”
She said a coach told her that they are using her son as an example of the kind of player that they want on the team.
D’sean Martinez said he finished spring ball as the No. 3 cornerback on the team and expects to see playing time in the fall. Though Cassie mentions that he needs to not be discouraged if that does not come right away, with older players getting their turn. But Martinez loved seeing that he could truly compete with top athletes.
At Pojoaque, D’sean Martinez was equally accomplished on offense, as wide receiver, and defense. But the UNM coaches saw his strengths best fitting the cornerback room. And he will be sharing a position in the fall with Melaki Hernandez, a Los Alamos senior also from Hernandez.
“I think I just like hitting people,” D’sean Martinez said. “Intercepting the ball, tackling. You have to be a lot smarter on defense. It’s a lot more work, but I like having more work.”
Despite two years of college courses under his belt, he still has all of his college eligibility left. He will likely end up with a master’s degree before long. But he dreams of playing professionally in the NFL.
As for the $600 he gets from EA Sports, D’sean Martinez has no plans to spend it.
“I like to save my money,” he said.