Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua speaks with media at Notre Dame Stadium on Monday, Dec. 17, 2024, in South Bend. MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New Notre Dame GM Mike Martin Brings Big Change To South Bend

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By John Kennedy | Last updated Feb 18, 2025 11:01 PM ET

Notre Dame is refining its program building operation

After former Notre Dame GM Chad Bowden took off for southern California, the Irish had a big decision to make regarding this position and the direction of the program. After an extended flirtation with James Blanchard of Texas Tech that did not result in a deal being made, the Irish have turned to Mike Martin of the Detroit Lions for the role.

Martin, who has spent the last four years with the Lions as Director of Scouting Advancement, will now lead the Irish in the GM role moving forward. With this move, Notre Dame will have a more NFL-style approach to roster and program building. This change feels like one the Irish are ready for.

Notre Dame is finalizing a deal to hire Detroit Lions Director of Scouting Advancement Mike Martin as the school’s new general manager, per source. Martin was part of Detroit’s initial front office staff that helped rebuild the Lions’ roster. Now Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman is…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 14, 2025

Notre Dame turning the corner into a "big boy" program

The shift of the Irish to more of an NFL-style operation seems like one that Notre Dame is ready for.

After a successful 2024 campaign, it feels like the Irish are looking for ways to become, for lack of a better term, a more serious football operation to accelerate the program momentum gained from the run.

With a more NFL-style model, more analytics will be used to calculate decision-making when it comes to roster building, portal additions and subtractions, NIL payouts, and player evaluations.

The GM role in college football is still a fairly new concept, and those teams who take the role seriously and invest in it and the support around it will rise to the top of this ever-changing sport.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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