Martin Named N.C. A&T Esports Coordinator

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (July 22, 2026) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has named Nicholas Martin its new esports coordinator. Martin will support the growth and development of the university’s premier esports program, focusing on building the interdisciplinary hub for competitive esports gameplay, student success and career readiness.

Martin, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, brings more than 12 years of gaming and esports leadership experience to the program, including six years in esports administration and coordination.

At N.C. A&T, he will oversee esports operations, including team development, programming and community outreach, and helping strengthen the program to combine competition with academic and professional opportunities in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the entertainment and technology industries.

“We’re really focused on building out our casual community, as well as our competitive community, and focusing on the future heritage of Aggie Esports,” said Martin. “We want people who will come in as students, have an incredible experience, meet lifelong friends, and then after they graduate, have successful careers.”

Martin plans to continue Aggie Esports’ legacy of championship success while making one of his priorities the creation of career pathways for students interested in the esports industry beyond competitive gaming.

With the construction of the state-of-the-art $3 million esports arena set to open this fall, the esports program will offer a pathway into production and broadcasting careers for journalism and mass communications students. These student employees will learn how to broadcast and stream live tournaments and events with professional-grade production equipment.

The new arena on the first floor of the Student Center will allow the program to host esports conferences, tournaments, and other events.

Beyond opportunities for production and broadcasting, Martin sees this new facility as a space for the program to cultivate partnerships with companies like Epic Games, engage with the community and create professional pipelines for students to enter fields of management and administration.

“With the new esports arena and with the educational opportunities, we have the chance to potentially do summer camps with elementary school, middle school and high school students, as well as our collegiate students,” he said. “It gives us great opportunities to connect with the Greensboro community, and also the larger North Carolina community.”

Aggie Esports is committed to playing in the Power4+ HBCU Esports League, a national collegiate esports league that aims to bridge the opportunity gap and cultivate the next generation of Black gamers, creators and tech professionals. Their season will begin in the spring of next year.

On Aug. 1, the program will host a fighting game tournament in partnership with Iron Fist Monthly, the Triad’s premier fighting game community founded by Brandon Douglass ‘13.