As Miami Aims for Return to Glory, Marty Brown is Eyeing 2nd National Title

MIAMI BEACH — Nearly 25 years since the last time Miami reached the pinnacle of college football, the title experience on the Hurricanes' sideline is limited to some members of the coaching staff and Carson Beck as a backup quarterback.

But there is one player who brings a real championship pedigree.

Inside a deep running back room, the 'Canes have a not-so-secret weapon in Marty Brown. The redshirt sophomore is a first-year contributor for Miami after transferring in from lower-division powerhouse North Dakota State, which won the FCS National Championship Game last season.

Now, a year later, Brown has an opportunity to earn a rare distinction of being an FCS and FBS champion as Miami takes on Indiana for the national title.

And that word—opportunity—is a defining part of Brown's journey.

Out of high school, he was a partial qualifier. Still, the staff at NDSU saw a big, strong, physical, fast, hard worker and brought in Brown, who spent a redshirt year under then-head coach Matt Entz.

"I got to be on scout team and go against the No. 1 defense in the FCS," Brown told Bleacher Report. "Going against them every day, they made me better."

That season in the shadow of the spotlight has only produced more opportunities.

"What he learned here as far as valuing teammates, valuing how to practice and taking advantage of practice and becoming as good a practice player as you can be will always benefit of you, I think that's what Marty did a really good job in that first year when he couldn't play," NDSU coach Tim Polasek told B/R.

Polasek took the helm of the program in 2024, overseeing a championship season that featured Brown's ascent into a prominent role.

"It most certainly became evident that Marty's gonna be a tough out when it came to closing games, short-yardage running, goal-line running," Polasek said.

Brown scampered for 1,181 yards and 15 scores, winning the Jerry Rice Award—given to the FCS' top freshman—and capped the season with the game-sealing touchdown to beat Montana State in the championship. After the spring, he entered the transfer portal to chase his goal of playing at the highest level.

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Polasek called it a bittersweet process as Brown navigated the portal but appreciated how "grateful, thankful and humble" he was about the difficult decision to leave NDSU, the program that first took a shot on him.

Soon enough, Miami came calling.

The room already had plenty of talent with Mark Fletcher Jr., Jordan Lyle and incoming freshmen like Girard Pringle Jr., but Fletcher—who's become known for recruiting transfers at his own position—saw a void Brown could help fill.

"I told him, 'Hey man, we need you, you'll really help us out,'" Fletcher said. "I told him how he could help us, and, shoot, he was on board."

All of those key moments Polasek mentioned—closing games, in particular—has remained true for Brown at Miami this season.

He rushed for 22 critical yards on the game-winning drive to beat Notre Dame and accounted for 47 yards with a touchdown on the sealing drive against Florida. Most recently, his powerful run set up Beck's dramatic touchdown run that propelled the 'Canes past Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl and to the championship.

"When you get your chance, you gotta take advantage of it," Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. "And he did."

The reality is those opportunities can be sporadic for Brown. Fletcher is a 1,000-yard runner, and Pringle earned more snaps in the latter half of the regular season. Brown collected 16-plus touches in wins against ND, Florida and Ole Miss, for example, but didn't have any in the victory at Texas A&M.

Brown has to stay ready. The perfect example happened in the Fiesta Bowl, a contest in which Brown had zero touches until the fourth quarter.

Ohio State trimmed the lead to 17-14, putting Miami on its collective heel. Fletcher kickstarted the drive with a 19-yard run on the opening snap, but Brown snagged a crucial third-down catch to extend the possession, then turned five carries into 26 yards and a game-sealing touchdown.

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"When they put me in moments like that, I don't even think about not playing the whole game," Brown said. "Just make a play when my name is called."

That mindset does not go unnoticed.

"I can't say enough about the kid as far as his approach and his attitude, especially in today's age where it's an 'I gotta get mine' mentality," Dawson said.

Monday night against Indiana, the Hurricanes assuredly are planning to lean on their deep backfield—one bolstered by a tremendous offensive line. The best version of this Miami offense is a physical, run-first unit built to control the clock and close out games.

Indiana, obviously, presents an enormous challenge. The top-ranked Hoosiers are unbeaten and have yielded just 2.9 yards per carry.

Yet the moment—a national title in Miami's own stadium—doesn't feel different for the Hurricanes' back with a championship history.

"It's all the same stuff, but it's just more hype," Brown said. "It's all the same process, it's really staying focused and getting the job done."

If history is any indication, Brown will get an opportunity.

And all he's ever done is take advantage of those.