Quarterback Adrian Martinez is everything Kansas State football hoped for so far

MANHATTAN — The day Adrian Martinez announced that he was entering the transfer portal, Collin Klein jumped in his car and headed to Lincoln, Nebraska.

Martinez, a four-year starter at Nebraska, was looking for a new home to finish his college football career and Kansas State was in the market for a veteran to bridge the gap between Skylar Thompson and a crop of promising younger quarterbacks.

While Klein might not have been a household name in Lincoln, nobody had to tell Martinez about his credentials.

"Being a huge college football fan, I was very much aware of it," Martinez said of Klein's prowess as a K-State quarterback a decade ago, when he won the 2012 Johnny Unitas Award and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. "The guy was a tank, as I like to call it, back in the day."

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That's why, when he arrived for a dinner with Klein at HopCat, a downtown Lincoln restaurant, Martinez was almost embarrassed by the reaction.

"It was kind of funny, because I consider coach Klein to be a college football legend, and he was kind of incognito in the back, and when I walked in people started standing and clapping for me," Martinez said with a smile. "And of course, I'm going to meet coach Klein and they didn't realize this guy, a Heisman Trophy finalist, was just sitting over there.

"I think if anyone deserved some claps, it was probably him."

Nevertheless, that initial December meeting between Martinez and Klein, who was then K-State's acting offensive coordinator, went well. Both of them came away equally impressed by the other.

"I think the biggest thing is he wasn't a salesman," Martinez said of Klein's recruiting pitch. "He was genuine, and he's been everything he said he would be.

"He's true to who he says he is and he shows up every day, consistent. I saw that when I first met him. He talked me through his offense and their plans for the future and I was really excited."

Klein, in turn, was immediately drawn to Martinez.

"I think he's the whole package, I really do," Klein said. "I've been very impressed with his football knowledge and football IQ, work ethic (and) level of understanding.

"It's been a little bit hard, just because he hasn't been able to go and obviously do what he wants to do. But obviously he has great physical tools to work with."

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Martinez, who announced his decision to join the Wildcats in mid-December, was limited this spring while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He has been cleared to throw under the supervision of K-State's trainers, but not yet in live drills.

Klein, who was promoted to fulltime offensive coordinator following K-State's 42-20 Texas Bowl victory over LSU in January, had seen enough game film on Martinez to know his skillset was well suited for the Wildcat offense. He owns the Nebraska career records for total offense with 10,792 yards, including 8,491 passing with 45 touchdowns, plus 2,301 rushing and 35 more scores.

At that first meeting in Lincoln, Klein was more interested in the intangibles.

"When you're going through the recruiting process of anyone, it's making sure that it's the right fit," Klein said. "It doesn't matter where they come from, who they are, their story, their ability or whatever. They have to be the right fit.

"They have to be a character fit, a culture fit and a locker room fit, and then obviously we obviously have to fill in all those blanks before we get too down the road. That's what we wanted to do, and he checked every one of those boxes."

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As the Wildcats transition to summer conditioning, Martinez is pleased with his physical progress. Working with the training staff, he is throwing 50-yard passes and hopes soon to begin 7-on-7 drills with his teammates.

"It's what I love to do, so it was great when that moment finally happened and continuing to progress and seeing that progress in myself is motivating," Martinez said. "It's what keeps me going.

"But it's important for me to stay patient, and I trust coach (Chris) Klieman and coach Klein and Mindy (Hoffman), our trainer, to have the right timing for me."

K-State linebacker Will Honas, another Nebraska graduate transfer, has seen Martinez at his best and doesn't think Wildcat fans will be disappointed.

"He's a really exciting player to watch," Honas said. "He's a special athlete, and he can throw the ball really well and he can run the ball really well.

"You can already see in practice that his movement is different from other players. He moves at a different speed, and once he is able to throw again, the ball comes off his hand really well, and I think that will stand out."

For his part, Martinez is satisfied with how the spring unfolded, even if he wasn't able to cut loose with his shoulder.

"Coach Klein, the other quarterbacks and myself, we've all put a lot of work into it," he said, "and coach Klein has done a good job of finding ways to get me reps and getting in the film room, those types of things, so I don't think I've been held back in any way."

As far as getting to know his teammates, that has gone smoothly as well.

"I really like this group of guys and I'm thankful that they've been so welcoming to me," Martinez said. "Part of that is earned, and I think they've gotten to know me, and they'll continue to get to know me, and I'll continue to get to know them. So I feel good about it and I feel good about our progression as a unit."

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Former Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez is everything K-State wanted