BYU’s injury luck continues to get worse.
Star Cougars running back LJ Martin will miss the next four to six weeks with a lower body injury, according to a report Wednesday from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The injury, which Martin suffered during his sophomore run against TCU last weekend, will sideline him for BYU’s nationally televised game against Notre Dame on Oct. 17 in Provo.
BYU had already ruled Martin out of Friday’s game against Iowa State in its Big 12-mandated availability report released Tuesday night.
The reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, Martin has totaled 344 yards and three touchdowns so far in 2026, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Although he has missed six games over the last three seasons due to various injuries, this current setback will likely be the longest absence of Martin’s career due to health reasons.
Since debuting with the Cougars in 2023, Martin has accumulated 2,885 rushing yards to rank 6th all-time in program scoring.
Now, without its best offensive player for the foreseeable future, BYU will turn to reserve running backs Journee Tonga, Preston Rex and others to replace Martin, with quarterback Bear Bachmeier also slated for a heavier workload.
In 111 non-Martin carries this season, the Cougars have totaled 598 yards with an average of 5.4 yards per attempt and 10 touchdowns.
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