Latest news with #NickMartin
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Binghamton Move Out Project donates 33,000 pounds of items
VESTAL, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Year-round residents in need are about to benefit from the unwanted goods left behind by departing Binghamton University students. The Binghamton Move Out Project collected over 33,000 pounds of items from BU students who graduated or went home for the summer. On Tuesday, nearly 50 local nonprofits were able to do some free shopping for things that might benefit their clients. Items included food, clothing, books, children's toys, and other contributions. Nick Martin, Associate Director of the Q Center on BU's campus, says the project relies upon more than 150 volunteers and the generosity of the students. 'I would hope, as a person that lives in the community, that this helps to show the community that students are ready to do a lot of great things for the community. They just need some extra support sometimes,' said Martin. The Move Out Project will hold another shopping day on Wednesday. Organizations interested in participating next year can fill out a form that can be found here. Former NY Congressman releases new book on America's past and future Public information meeting to be held for Brandywine Growth project 5 high school students receive McShorley scholarship Binghamton Move Out Project donates 33,000 pounds of items Binghamton Downtown Singers present 'Glory and Light' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
4 days ago
- General
- New York Times
49ers rookie LB Nick Martin brings powerful personality to weakside spot
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Nick Martin and his three older brothers used to fight so much that their mother bought them boxing gloves to cushion the blows. Which, the San Francisco 49ers rookie recalled with a laugh, led to even more fighting in the form of neighborhood boxing tournaments. 'I lost a lot in the beginning because I was fighting people that were like five years older than me,' said Martin, who figures he was 7 when the bouts began. 'But I feel like that helped me grow in my mind, how to approach battles on and off the field. And then I started winning.' Advertisement That's been the story of his life. Growing up in Texarkana, Texas, Martin was never the biggest kid on the block. But he's always been a wicked hitter. That helps explain why the 49ers took the 5-foot-11, 221-pound linebacker with the 11th pick in the third round. One of the lessons from an awful 2024 season was how badly they missed Dre Greenlaw, their ferocious weakside linebacker who sat out all but 34 snaps due to an Achilles injury. When Greenlaw went to the Denver Broncos in free agency, the 49ers were compelled to find someone who could tackle, cover and set a furious tone like he did. The search led to Martin. 'You've heard of a sideline-to-sideline guy,' said former Oklahoma State linebacker Kenyatta Wright, who's now the program's financial director. 'Well, Nick is a football-field guy. Wherever you are on a football field, he's going to be there.' The other reason the 49ers fell for Martin is the small-bodied linebacker's big-time charisma. He likes art, music, has his own fashion line and taught himself to play the guitar. On his first full day with the 49ers last month, he had the confidence to walk around in oversized shark slippers in the locker room and in his media appearance. He has about 10 pairs of animal slippers, including wolves and puppies, and he's not afraid to let the dogs out. 'I'm pretty comfortable with who I am,' he said. 'And I've always worn 'em, so why change?' Nick 'Jaws' Martin — Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) May 8, 2025 The 49ers note he was a two-time team captain at Oklahoma State. After he injured his MCL ligament in the fifth game last season, coach Mike Gundy petitioned the Big 12 to allow Martin to travel with the team. That's how important he was to the locker room, meeting room and sideline, even when he wasn't playing. The 49ers hope he has the same effect on a rookie class that, especially on defense, is expected to log plenty of snaps this season. Advertisement 'It's important when we're considering how the rookies are going to mesh together,' the 49ers' top scout, Tariq Ahmad, explained regarding Martin. 'Who's going to be the leader of that group? Who's going to push guys to watch extra tape, to be on the field extra?' Martin's mother, Tosha, describes her youngest son as 'joyful.' He was always upbeat, always curious, always joking. Older brother Chauncey goes with 'goofy.' 'He'd come hang around my friends and he'd cut jokes,' Chauncey said. 'But they were jokes I'd already heard. That's my little brother, and I'd be like, 'Stop being annoying.' But to my friends, he was hilarious. And I'd say, 'Bro, don't laugh at him. Don't egg him on.'' Nick — or Nickolas, as his mother invariably calls him — is close to all his brothers. But his relationship with Chauncey, who is nearest in age, is special. They grew up sharing a bedroom and dreams about playing in the NFL. They'd play 'Madden' and assure each other their names would one day appear on the screen. In the living room, Chauncey would get on his knees and pretend he was Ray Lewis. Nick, in the role of Reggie Bush, would try to get past him. All the Martin boys played football. Chauncey and Nick loved football. 'We just had a bond,' Chauncey said. 'Even though we had two older brothers, we were close. We shared a room our whole life. It was me and him.' Being three years older, Chauncey was the first to find football glory. He was the running back on Pleasant Grove High's first-ever state champion team, which in East Texas is akin to landing on the moon or winning Olympic gold. Nick, speedy but scrawny and not ready for the varsity squad, came to be known as 'Chauncey's little brother.' 'He didn't like that,' Tosha said. 'It motivated him.' Every time he was dismissed as too small, he hit the weight room. Whenever he was obscured by Chauncey's shadow, he'd try to outrun it by getting faster. Advertisement He loved his brother, tried to be like his brother, but also wanted — no, needed — to make a name for himself. And by his junior season, he was playing linebacker and running back while leading Pleasant Grove to another state title. The only problem was that Chauncey wasn't around to see it. He and four other 19-year-olds were arrested for their roles in a robbery that occurred in January 2019 in Texarkana. Chauncey was kicked off the East Texas A&M football team and sentenced to nearly two and a half years in prison. He saw bits and pieces of Nick's freshman season at Oklahoma State from the day room of Barry B. Telford prison in nearby South Boston, Texas. 'I'd point to the TV and say, 'There you go — he's right there!'' Chauncey recalled. 'I think he was like No. 46 back then. I'd say, 'That's him right there on kickoff (coverage). He's the first one down there on kickoffs.' It would just give me like a smile, you know, on a Saturday to see my brother on TV playing ball.' Chauncey was released just as Nick was making his ascent at Oklahoma State. By his third season there, the days of being known as Chauncey's little brother were long gone. He was no longer a special teamer. He wasn't even always Nick. Teammates instead started calling him 'Missile' for the way he took down ball carriers. His 2023 season, which truly caught the 49ers' attention, included a Big 12-best 140 tackles, 16 stops behind the line of scrimmage and six sacks. 'I've never seen a guy who was carrying a football who didn't drop as soon as Nick tackled him,' said Oklahoma State's Wright, who played six NFL seasons. 'His ability to get guys down at the point of attack was unbelievable. His speed to the ball was amazing.' Wright noted that Martin regularly would come into his office to talk linebackers and that his favorite NFL player to dissect was Fred Warner. Martin had Warner's No. 54 jersey long before the 49ers drafted him. Advertisement Warner said last week that rookies are usually reticent about asking him questions — 'the whole 'too cool' thing,' he said. But Martin hasn't been shy. At all. 'He's come in and asked me every single question known to man,' Warner said. 'It's like, 'Fred, how are you doing this? What are you doing after practice? What are you doing after lifts?' And he's wanting to be part of those (activities). … He already has the mindset of wanting to learn.' As for older brother Chauncey, at one point, he was Nick's inspiration. Now it's the other way around. Chauncey said that when he was in high school, he got an offer from Harding University, a Division II Christian school in Arkansas. He turned it down. 'I didn't want to go because of the structure, and it was a private, Christian school,' he said. 'I was like, 'Man, I want to go to school to have fun.' And I ended up getting in trouble.' When he was released from prison, the offer from Harding was still on the table. This time, he grabbed it with gratitude. He played running back for the Bison for three seasons and recently graduated with a degree in business management. Now, as Nick learns the 49ers' defense from Warner, Chauncey is trying to catch on with a UFL team. He says his little brother inspired him to re-focus on their shared passion for football. 'I'm in a way better place,' he said. 'And Nick is some of the reason for that. Seeing my little brother accomplish all this stuff we used to talk about, it just makes me want to keep going.'
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
49ers' Robert Saleh says he's looking 2 years ahead as he rebuilds defense
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Though the San Francisco 49ers' recent draft class has all sorts of similarities to players Robert Saleh coached previously in San Francisco, the team's defensive coordinator insists his eye is very much on the future. 'You know, you're always trying to stay two years ahead of the offense,' Saleh said Thursday during his first public comments since being hired in January. 'There's always trends with offenses, and you can get an idea of what they're trying to do and what they're trying to get done. You're just trying to pick up on those trends. I don't want to get into too much detail, but you're always trying to stay ahead of them.' Advertisement Saleh avoided specifics but said his scheme has evolved 'significantly' since 2017, his initial season with the 49ers, and even from 2019, the year the defense took a major shift with the hiring of defensive line coach Kris Kocurek and the implementation of the Wide 9 front. That year was considered the high-water mark for recent 49ers defenses. They finished first in pass defense, tallied 48 sacks — including 41 by their defensive linemen — and allowed fewer than 20 points per game. That unit seemed to be on the 49ers' collective mind during the recent draft. In the third round, they took a linebacker, Nick Martin, who reminded them of Dre Greenlaw, a 14-game starter, including the Super Bowl, during his rookie year in 2019. Later in the round, they snagged a pint-size but pugnacious nickel cornerback, Upton Stout, who seems like a carbon copy of former 49ers nickelback K'Waun Williams. Williams' best NFL season came in 2019, when he had career highs in interceptions (two) and forced fumbles (four). In the fourth round, they selected C.J. West, a defensive tackle who reminds them of one-time 49er D.J. Jones. Kocurek has been pining for Jones-like defenders over the past two seasons. Now he has two: Evan Anderson, whom Kocurek fought hard to land after last year's draft, and West. 'Extremely stout, sturdy, but also has the quickness and strength to play in the other team's backfield,' general manager John Lynch said of West. 'Makes a lot of splash plays in the other team's backfield.' In second-round pick Alfred Collins, the 49ers have length in the middle of their defensive line that they haven't had since Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner lined up next to each other. And in first-rounder Mykel Williams, the team has a bookend for defensive end Nick Bosa that it hasn't had since Dee Ford started having back issues midway through the 2019 season. Then there's Saleh himself. The 49ers seemed locked in on Saleh as their next defensive coordinator as soon as the season ended, and they waited nearly three weeks for him to look into head coaching opportunities before hiring him to a top-of-the-market contract. Saleh, who left the 49ers to become the New York Jets head coach in 2021, was asked Thursday whether he considered going to a different team, one with which he hadn't already built a reputation. He said no and gave two reasons. Advertisement The first was loyalty to Kyle Shanahan, Lynch and CEO Jed York, who made him a first-time coordinator in 2017. The talent-starved 49ers struggled that season and the next, and a chorus of fans began calling for his job. 'And it could have been very easy to move on from me,' he said. 'So I'm indebted to this organization, to those men, for the rest of my life.' Saleh also cited the collaboration between the 49ers' coaching and scouting staffs that he said doesn't exist with other franchises. 'Most buildings maybe spend a week in terms of communication between scouting department and coaching staff with regards to the draft,' he said. 'This organization will spend three to four weeks just grinding on tape — offense, defense, special teams and going deep into the seventh round (and) undrafted free-agent-type players. And I think that's why this organization has had so much success finding Day 3 picks that come to fruition. And even the undrafted free agents end up having success in this league.' Saleh met with the 49ers' top personnel officials as soon as he arrived in January to discuss how he has evolved since leaving to become the Jets' head coach. One difference may be the size of the defensive ends he sought when he first arrived in 2017 versus what he's looking for now. The Wide 9 requires big-bodied ends who can set an edge in the running game and plow through tight ends on pass plays, something that's reflected in the 6-foot-5, 267-pound Williams. The cornerbacks, meanwhile, seem to have gotten smaller. Early on in Saleh's first 49ers tenure, the team looked for tall, long cornerbacks like the Seattle Seahawks used — someone like former Seahawk Richard Sherman. More recently, the 49ers have found success with smaller, feisty players like Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green. Advertisement 'When (Saleh) came in, he sat down with us, and he kind of talked about how he's evolved and his time away from here, and he also heard from us how we've evolved and how we see players,' director of player personnel RJ Gillen said last month. 'And then we came together and took a consensus in terms of the plan and type of players and skill sets and fits moving forward.' The 49ers ended up taking defensive players with their first five picks, the first time the franchise has done so since 1981. Three of those picks — Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson — were 16-game starters as rookies. Saleh made it clear the incoming rookies who arrived this week for minicamp have plenty of work before any can be declared starters, including understanding Saleh's 'all gas, no break' philosophy. But it's also clear that after an offseason roster purge, there are opportunities to be had. 'They've got OTAs, training camp — it's gonna be a crash course,' Saleh said. 'And if any of them are worthy, they'll be on the field Week 1.'
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Grading 49ers selection of athletic, undersized LB in 3rd round of NFL draft
Grading 49ers selection of athletic, undersized LB in 3rd round of NFL draft The San Francisco 49ers mostly followed the consensus public draft board for their first two picks in this year's draft. They went off the board when they selected Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin with their first pick in Round 3. Taking a linebacker No. 75 overall isn't a terrible idea considering the 49ers need to find a replacement for Dre Greenlaw. Martin has a lot of the tools that should allow him to fill that role. He has sideline-to-sideline speed and good instincts to get downhill and stick his nose in against the run. Martin also shows off good football IQ when diagnosing screens. A major problem with Martin as a prospect is that he's pretty undersized even for a Will LB. He measured in at 5-11, 221 pounds. That was a problem at times when offensive linemen got into the second level to get hands on him. However, getting hands on him isn't easy because he's so quick and effective at navigating blocks. The upside is clear with this choice, but there's a significant injury red flag. He missed the final seven games of last season with a right knee injury. According to Pokes Report it was an MCL sprain that cost him his season. Martin did run a 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He also did the vertical and broad jumps but skipped the three-cone and shuttle. The pre-injury 2023 season is the one that brings the most optimism for Martin. In 2023 when he played a full 14-game season he posted a whopping 140 tackles with six sacks (and 30 pressures per PFF). That was also the year he pulled down both of his career interceptions. In four seasons at Oklahoma State, Martin put up 203 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and four pass breakups. It may have been a bit of a reach because of the knee injury and size, but the upside with Martin and his athleticism is clear. The 49ers will need him to produce quickly to help bolster the second level of their defense. Grade: B-
Technical.ly
12-03-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Piano raises $120M for biz analytics tools, with plans to hit $100M in revenue this year
Philly companies have been busy raising multi-million dollar funding rounds, through both investments and grant opportunities. Tech companies Piano and Carbon Reform both recently raised venture capital. Piano, a data analytics software company, secured $120 million in funding through a Series D round and a loan. Carbon Reform announced a $5.5 million round to support commercialization of its Carbon Capsule product. Plus, the City of Philadelphia is helping companies access funding through a new $5 million fund to further support small businesses in the city. Get all the details on the latest money moves below the chart, where we look at the top 10 companies hiring for tech jobs in the Philadelphia market and how that's changed since the previous month. VCs invest a $45M Series D and $75M in loans in Piano Software company Piano announced $120 million in financing last month. This includes a $75 million loan from Runway Growth Capital and a $45 million Series D fundraising round. 'We appreciate Runway's confidence in our vision and look forward to advancing our mission to empower businesses with the tools they need to understand and influence customer behavior,' said Trevor Kaufman, CEO of Piano. Piano is currently profitable and expects to hit $100 million in revenue this year, reported the Philadelphia Business Journal. Piano's platform uses data analytics to help clients understand customer engagement. The funding will go towards continued development of its platform and help expand market presence. The company's US headquarters is in Philadelphia, but it also has 15 offices around the world. Carbon Reform raises $5.5M Carbon Reform raised $5.5 million as part of a Seed+ round. The funding will support commercialization of its Carbon Capsule product, which connects to existing HVAC systems to remove carbon dioxide and other contaminants from indoor air. 'This funding allows us to scale our commercialization throughout the mid-Atlantic this year and secure our position as the best solution for buildings to reach net zero,' said Nick Martin, COO of Carbon Reform. The former RealLIST Startup raised a $3 million seed round in 2022, right before moving its headquarters from Delaware to Center City. Last fall, the company won $20,000 from the Philly Startup World Cup pitch competition and had the opportunity to pitch at the global championship competition. City launches $5M Small Business Catalyst Fund The City of Philadelphia launched the $5 million Philadelphia Small Business Catalyst Fund last month, which will provide funding and other resources to local entrepreneurs. Interest forms for the fund will open in April and eligible businesses must demonstrate growth potential, have plans for expansion and generate less than $2 million in revenue. Companies must also show their impact on their communities. The Department of Commerce will host outreach events to spread the word about the fund. Selected companies will receive funding, mentorship and business education opportunities. 'We designed this initiative based on direct insights from local businesses, diverse Chambers of Commerce, and industry experts,' Alba Martinez, director of the Department of Commerce, said. 'Through a streamlined application process, proactive outreach and a data-driven approach, we are dedicated to eliminating outdated methods that slow small business growth.' More money moves: Center City-based biotech company Imvax raised $29 million from existing investors. The funding will support continued development of its brain cancer treatment. Vetigenics, a University City-based biotech company specifically for animal therapeutics, raised a $6 million seed round. Agtech company AgriGates received a $31,000 Agricultural Innovation Grant from the Shapiro Administration. AgriGates' platform gathers agricultural data into one spot for users. AI gun detection software company ZeroEyes won a $2 million grant from the Pennsylvania Commission of Crime and Delinquency. The funding will allow the Conshohocken-based company to offer its platform to 15 school districts in Pennsylvania. West Philly research institution the Wistar Institute will be expanding its life sciences apprenticeship training program thanks to a $600,000 PASmart Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Workforce development nonprofit OIC Philadelphia plans to make its Green Jobs Training Network a statewide initiative through a $250,000 grant from the Philadelphia Energy Authority via the American Rescue Plan's Good Jobs Challenge. Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
