UCLA DB Cole Martin announces return for 2026 season

The allure of staying home turned out to stronger than Cole Martin‘s original intention to enter the transfer portal.

Martin, who announced Dec. 2 that he would be entering the portal, announced Wednesday that he will stick with the Bruins for the 2026 season.

“I’M HOME #4sUP,” Martin wrote in a caption of a video reel on Instagram.

The news comes as a bit of a stunner after his father, Demetrice Martin, the UCLA secondary coach this past season, reportedly accepted a job to coach at Arizona State. Cole Martin, who completed his first season with the Bruins, transferred from ASU last offseason.

Instead of following to play for his father, the Pasadena native decided to return to a UCLA secondary that has five other players expected to hit the portal. The Bruins will also lose starting safety Key Lawrence, who exhausted his eligibility.

“I’ve always been a fan of the UCLA Bruins, so opportunity to come here was huge,” Martin said in October, reminiscing about his middle school years during his father’s first stint coaching in Westwood.

Now, though, it appears the Martins are headed their separate ways again.

Cole Martin gives the Bruins some stability in the defensive backfield and a weapon on special teams. He made 65 tackles to with three pass break-ups and an interception. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder also executed a pair of fake punts.

Martin, who will be a redshirt junior next season, has two years of eligibility remaining.