When Oliver Martin returned to Lincoln following Nebraska’s loss at Illinois to open the 2021 season, he went to bed having played the best game of his college career.

When the wide receiver woke up the next morning, though, his right knee had swelled up like a balloon, and it ended up derailing his junior campaign completely.

With six receptions on 10 targets for 103 yards and a touchdown at Illinois, Martin capped off an impressive offseason by immediately establishing himself as a fixture in the Huskers’ passing game.

But a lingering knee issue that had been getting progressively worse through fall camp finally hit a tipping point after his 58 snaps against the Fighting Illini.

After that game, Martin could barely even bend his knee, let alone run anywhere close to full speed. He didn’t return to game action for more than a month, finally joining the lineup against Northwestern.

The re-acclimation to Big Ten football proved to be another hurdle for Martin. He only played in five games after his injury in Week 0, seeing just 28 snaps and three targets over his final three appearances.

“It was the hardest thing to deal with mentally because I just put in so much work and felt like it was finally my time,” Martin said. “It kind of got stripped away from me right after the first game. I think the toughest part was just mentally dealing with that.”

A former four-star recruit in 2017 who transferred from Michigan to Iowa before landing in Lincoln in 2020, Martin is no stranger to having to wait for his opportunities.

Last year’s setback was difficult, but the Iowa City native said he felt as good as ever now going through his third spring as a Husker. Beyond getting back physically, Martin said he’s thrived under the changes head coach Scott Frost made to his offensive staff this offseason.

He’s immediately taken to new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple’s versatile and adaptive passing scheme, saying it “has an answer for anything” a defense showed and emphasized taking shots downfield - an area he considers one of his specialties.

Martin has especially gravitated toward new associate head coach/wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph.

When Joseph first took over back in December, he called Martin into his office for a one-on-one meeting. The two instantly hit it off, and their bond has quickly grown ever since.

“He’s a big relationship guy,” Martin said of Joseph. “That’s one thing that’s stuck out to compared to the other coaches I’ve had, is he’s made relationships with all the guys, and they’re pretty tight, and there’s a brotherhood in the room.

“He holds a lot of people accountable. You need to be at meetings on time; you need to be at the right place at the right time; you need to execute your assignments on the field, and if not, he’ll let you know… I feel like I’m a lot closer with him than previous coaches I’ve had, and that’s big for me.”

Now in his sixth year of college football, Martin feels readier than ever to finally make his mark. He just needs his body to cooperate.

“I think if I can stay healthy, I can be really productive in the offense,” Martin said. “I think I could have a lot of games like the Illinois game if I’m healthy… I’m back now. I feel good, and I think I’m ready to have a big year.”