Martin, Eachus, Irby ready for next level
COSTA MESA -- Three Orange Coast College football players -- Will Martin, Ryan Eachus and Melvin Irby -- will be taking their athletic and academic careers to the four-year level, as announced on Wednesday inside the Peterson Gym Foyer.
"It's always our goal here to get our players to the next level and with these three guys, they've put in the time and hard work and have earned their opportunities," OCC head coach Kevin Emerson said.
Martin, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound offensive lineman, will move on and attend UC Davis in the fall. He came to OCC from Bretheran Christian High School. After being sidelined in 2014 with a knee injury, during his two years with the Pirates, Martin was the anchor on an O-Line that helped generate over 7,000 yards of total offense and 73 touchdowns during his two-year career.
Martin earned second-team, All-Southern Conference honors as a freshman and after moving from tackle to center in 2016, he earned first-team, All-Southern Conference honors as sophomore.
"When I came to OCC, I was a defensive player, but (OCC lineman coach) Doug Smith talked to be about moving to the offensive line, so I began to train my craft and learn as much as I could about the offensive line and football philosophy while I got my knee back in shape," Martin said. "I listened to my coaches and worked hard on my grades and I'm thankful to OCC for the opportunity the school has given me to move onto the next level."
Eachus, a 6'3, 250-pound tight end/fullback, will be playing football and continuing his education at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. "After a prep career on defense, Eachus moved to tight end and became a solid force both as a blocker and receiver for the Pirates.
"Ryan came to us as an athlete that had the ability to play a number of different positions," Emerson said. "He embraced the role of moving to tight end and is a very inquisitive athlete who wants to be in control of his situation."
Over his two-year career with the Pirates, the block-first Eachus also caught 32 passes for 368 yards and won the team's 2015 Offensive Utility Award.
"I've had a very fun time at OCC and the things I've been taught here will definitely carry over and help me succeed at the next level," Eachus said. "UNC Charlotte was the first Division I program to reach out to me and when I took a trip out there, the facilities were all brand new and the coaches were great to me. I'm really looking forward to playing there next season."
Irby, a 5'10, 210-pound linebacker from Beckman HS, will continue his career at Sterling (KS) College, one of the top NAIA football programs in the country.
"Melvin didn't play much for us as a freshman, but this season, he really laid some big hits out there and he's going to an outstanding program next year, so I'm very happy for him," Emerson said.
Irby played in all 10 games for OCC in 2016 and notched 46 tackles (29 solo) with 2.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
"When I got here, I knew we had a strong defense so I was patient and learned as much as I could from the sophomores," Irby said. "I worked hard in the offseason, the coaches believed in me and I had two great years here at OCC."
