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Troy’s returning leader at linebacker, Carlton Martial was named to the Phil Steele Magazine Preseason All-American team this week.

Phil Steele Magazine released its preseason All-American list and among the linebackers, Martial was named Phil Steele fourth-team All-American alongside Oregon State’s Omar Speights, Auburn’s Owen Pappoe and North Texas’ KD Davis. Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr., Iowa’s Jack Campbell, Oregon’s Noah Sewell and Wisconsin’s Nick Herbig took first-team honors, while Arkansas’ Bumper Pool, Cincinnati’s Deshawn Pace, Alabama’s Henry To’o To’o and Clemson’s Trenton Simpson made up the second-team list. On the third team, Syracuse’s Mikel Jones, Army’s Andre Carter, North Carolina State’s Drake Thomas and Mississippi State’s Tyrus Wheat made the list.

Martial is a Mobile native that went from a walk-on in his freshman year to becoming one of the top linebackers in the entire country. As a freshman in 2018, he earned Freshman All-American honors from The Athletic, USA Today and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) before earning Pro Football Focus second-team All-American honors in 2019. He also was a Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist in 2020 and a finalist in 2021, while making Pro Football Network’s All-American honorable mention in 2021. Martial has earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors in each of the last three seasons, as well.

Going into 2022, Martial is on pace to break Troy, Sun Belt and NCAA records. He needs just 18 tackles to set the Sun Belt Conference career mark, 15 assisted tackles to set the Troy record, 49 assisted tackles to set the NCAA FBS career record, 104 total tackles to set the FBS career tackle record and 122 total tackles to set the Troy career tackle record. He also needs 19 tackles-for-loss to set the Sun Belt career record and 8.5 tackles-for-loss to break the Troy career mark. Regardless, of what records he breaks this season, Martial will go down as one of the very best players in Troy history.