A new report reveals Notre Dame is set to hire a top Detroit Lions talent evaluator to take on a major role in their program.
The 2024-25 season for the Notre Dame Fight Irish football program was a major success. In year three as head coach, Marcus Freeman was able to lead his team to a pair of big wins over top-10 teams in the college football playoffs and get to the National Championship game. While they did not beat Ohio State in the title game there were huge positives from their campaign.
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Unfortunately, just like every program in college football, with the end of the season comes departures by seniors or players entering the NFL Draft. Starting quarterback Riley Leonard, two-time All-American safety Xavier Watts, defensive tackles Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills, and linebacker Jack Kiser are leaving the program this year. However, they also suffered a major loss to their administrative staff.
Chad Bowden is heading to USC to be their new general manager. It is a major role that needs to be filled ASAP and it looks like Notre Dame has done that.
Notre Dame hires Mike Martin to be new GM
ESPN reported Friday that Notre Dame is hiring Detroit Lions director of scouting advancement Mike Martin to replace Bowden.
“Martin has worked with five NFL teams and just finished his fourth season in Detroit as the director of scouting advancement,” The Athletic ND reporter Pete Sampson writes. “That position worked with the team’s college and pro personnel staff to build the Lions’ roster, which improved in every season Martin spent with the organization, including last season’s 15-2 mark and No. 1 seed in the NFC.
“Martin, who graduated from Vanderbilt, should have at least some working knowledge of Notre Dame’s scouting department, having overlapped with director of scouting Matt Jansen in Houston.”
As NIL deals and the transfer portal’s impact on college sports grows, Notre Dame needs to stay ahead of the curve on how to identify talent and build rosters. Martin has a great deal of experience doing that at the highest level. He should make a big impact in the years ahead for the Fight Irish.
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