The first Illini player since Kevin Hardy in 1995 to earn Associated Press All-American honors (2007), Martin O'Donnell is an intelligent player who developed into one of the nation's premier trap blockers.

His ability to widen rush lanes and sustain blocks helped tailback Rashard Mendenhall set a school single-season rushing record. The Illinois ground attack led the Big Ten Conference and ranked fifth in the nation, generating 257.77 yards per game during O'Donnell's final campaign.

O'Donnell, who plans on becoming a high school football coach and teacher once his playing days are over, has also excelled in the classroom. He graduated in May of 2007 with a degree in History and Speech Communications and is presently working on his master's degree in Human Resource Education. He is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference choice and received Honor Roll recognition all four years in high school, graduating from the prep ranks with a 4.2 grade point average.

O'Donnell earned Parade All-American honors and was named second-rated offensive tackle in country by Rival.com at Downers Grove South High School. Rivals.com rated him the best player on their Illinois Top 25 list, ranking him second on the Midwest 100 squad and the 11th overall player on the national Top 100 list. He was a Top-100 recruit according to the Chicago Sun-Times, adding All-American Dream Team recognition from Prep Star.

The two-time All-State and All-Conference selection made the Sun-Times Top-100 Chicago Area recruit list. He was named a first-team Riddell All-American and earned West Suburban Gold Conference Player of the Year honors. He also garnered conference Lineman of the Year accolades and was a Super Prep All-Region selection. He recorded 55 knockdown blocks as a senior and earned three letters in both football and track.

O'Donnell enrolled at Illinois in 2003, turning down scholarship offers from Nebraska, Iowa, Oregon and Stanford. He spent that season on the scout team, taking over left offensive guard duties in 2004, as he posted 70 knockdown blocks en route to earning Freshman All-American honors from Rivals.com and Freshman All-Big Ten Conference accolades from The Sporting News.

As a sophomore, O'Donnell was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team. He started 10 games at left guard, registering 78 knockdowns while appearing in 625 offensive snaps. He was again an Academic All-Big Ten choice as a junior, delivering 84 knockdowns for an offense that led the league and ranked 10th nationally in rushing, averaging 188.8 yards per game.

O'Donnell garnered All-American and All-Big Ten Conference first-team recognition as a senior. He led the offensive line with 101 knockdowns while participating in 750 plays. He helped the running attack set school records, as the Illini ranked fifth in the nation with 256.77 yards per game rushing.

O'Donnell started 47 of the 49 games he played at Illinois. He made 333 knockdown blocks while helping revive the Illinois offense that earned a berth in the 2008 Rose Bowl. He became the first offensive lineman to earn All-American first-team honors since 1963.

Positives: Has a thick frame that might lack muscle definition, but he is naturally strong with good arm reach, big hands, wide waist and good lower-body thickness. … Shows adequate lateral foot movement and balance needed to get to the second level and has enough athleticism to stay up and play on his feet. … Effective moving in the short area, as he positions himself properly to wall off his man and follow through in run blocking. … Aggressive drive blocker who uses his size to gain position and sustain, showing the leg drive to widen and sustain the rush lane and enough acceleration throughout the play to get into the second level on pulls and traps. … Uses his hands well to get into the defender's chest, locking on to sustain and does a good job when sinking his hips and keeping his leg base, setting up wide in pass protection. … Takes proper incline blocking angles and works his lower body well when positioning. … Shows good hand usage, locking on with good hand punch in pass protection and uses his change of direction to slide and mirror in passing situations. … Shows strength through his blocks, using his arms effectively to control and wall off edge rushers. … Can mirror the defender's inside rush move and is alert handling linebackers when moving out to the second level. … Generally plays under control and gets out well on the pull, especially kicking out in the short area. … Gets to the set point to combat the blitz, knowing how to roll his hips to deliver a strong hand punch with his initial step. … Uses his big hands forcefully to get control in the trenches. … Has the balance and short-area quickness to push defenders off the line while trapping. … Finds his target and lands blocks on screens, showing good knee bend and a wide leg base setting up in pass protection. … Efficient blocking in space, as he compensates for a lack of explosion with proper arm extension as he adjusts to stunts.

Negatives: Has to show better hand rise coming off the snap, as he will let defenders get into his chest when he gets too tall in his stance. … Has decent technique, set and punch, but must use it more often to lock on to the defender and ride him wide. … Needs to stand more flat-footed coming off the ball (gets back on his heels). … More of a position blocker who tries to compensate for a lack of explosion off the snap with finesse, but has a tendency to lean and overextend. … Works well in the open, but struggles at times to land on a fast moving target. … Can be beaten by quick spin moves, especially when he leans into his blocks. … Can get leveraged and lose anchor vs. the strong power rush. … Has natural strength, but could use more muscle tone and reduce some midsection soft flesh (less girth could see him position himself quicker). … When he tries to pivot to adjust to the speed rush, he tends to lose balance. … Has a good punch, but must be more quick in attempts to grab. … When he plays low, he works hard to position, but when he gets too tall, he can be pushed back into the pocket.

Compares To: RUSS HOCHSTEIN-New England. … O'Donnell looks like a Patriots' type of down lineman, as he might lack the muscled-up frame, but has good natural strength. He is highly intelligent, as it is rare to see him make a mental mistake. He needs to improve his explosion off the snap and is susceptible to a quick bull rush, often being pushed back into the pocket when he gets too tall in his stance. What he does best is widen and sustain the rush lane. He knows how to use his frame to lean into and engulf second-level defenders. If you are looking for a another Charles Atlas, look elsewhere, but if you want a lunch-pail type with good field smarts, O'Donnell is a nice late second-day draft target.

2007: Left the Ohio State game (11/10) midway through the fourth quarter when he twisted his ankle.

Campus: 5.25 in the 40-yard dash. … 380-pound bench press. … 525-pound squat. … 25-inch vertical jump. … 32 5/8-inch arm length. … 9 5/8-inch hands.

Attended Downers Grove (Ill.) South High School, playing football for head coach John Belskis. … Earned Parade All-American honors and was named second-rated offensive tackle in country by Rival.com. … Rivals.com rated him the best player on their Illinois Top 25 list, ranking him second on the Midwest 100 squad and the 11th overall player on the national Top 100 list. … Top-100 recruit according to the Chicago Sun-Times, adding All-American Dream Team recognition from Prep Star. … Two-time All-State and All-Conference selection. … Made the Sun-Times Top-100 Chicago Area recruit list. … First-team Riddell All-American pick and earned West Suburban Gold Conference Player of the Year honors. … Garnered conference Lineman of the Year accolades and was a Super Prep All-Region selection. … Recorded 55 knockdown blocks as a senior and earned three letters in both football and track. … Honor Roll student all four years, graduating with a 4.2 grade point average.

Graduated in May of 2007 with a degree in History and Speech Communications. … Is presently working on his master's degree in Human Resource Education. … Three-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference choice. … Plans to be a high school coach and history teacher upon graduation. … Member of Athletes Committed to Excellence. … Son of Pamela and Michael O'Donnell. … Born Martin Edward O'Donnell on 12/09/84. … Resides in Downers Grove, Illinois.