3 reasons why Mike Martin to Notre Dame is the biggest offseason move

The search for a general manager is off at Notre Dame as the school is set to hire Mike Martin, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move is not official yet as the deal hasn’t been finalized.

Martin, the former director of scouting advancement with the Detroit Lions, will take the spot vacated by Chad Bowden, who left to take the GM position at Southern Cal.

He will look to keep Notre Dame near the top of the college football world after the Fighting Irish made it to the CFP Championship Game, where they lost to Ohio State.

Mike Martin was a former defensive back at Vanderbilt from 1999 to 2001, and has worked in the scouting department for several NFL teams, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans and the Lions, the latter with whom he spent the last four years.

Here are three reasons why the move could be the most important the Irish make ahead of the 2025 season.

Three reasons why getting Mike Martin is the biggest offseason move

With Mike Martin joining the staff, Marcus Freeman can focus on coaching. - Source: Imagn

#1. Notre Dame’s staff can focus on football again

Finding a new general manager was no gimme for Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame. As the position is relatively new to college football, there aren’t many big name candidates and the hiring process took precious time away from preparing the football part of the program.

Another issue is that while GM is a well-known position in the NFL, the responsibilities are not the same in college football. NFL general managers are used to making personnel decisions and building the roster. In college football, the head coach is ultimately responsible for recruiting, the transfer portal and filling up his staff.

Hiring Martin allows Freeman to get back on the field and delegate the managing duties to the new GM. Keeping his focus on the field and the head coach responsibilities in general had to be a priority for the coach.

#2. Mike Martin has experience in different backgrounds

There are few college programs with as much national attention as Notre Dame football. That has turned the Fighting Irish into a national brand. By having been a part of organizations in the North (Detroit), Southeast (Tampa Bay and Tennessee) and Midwest (Houston), Martin has had to adjust to very different team profiles, rosters and expectations.

It doesn’t hurt that the executive will be arriving from Detroit, where he was part of a major turnaround. The Lions went from being a perennial losing team to a Super Bowl candidate in recent years. That winning mentality should fit in well with what Notre Dame, a program that hasn’t won a championship since 1988, is trying to do.

#3. Martin can revolutionize the position

According to Schefter, Mike Martin will “bring an NFL model to South Bend.” The general manager position is still young in college football. While each school has different responsibilities for the position, it usually includes NIL administration, some roster scouting and contract negotiations, among other responsibilities.

Perhaps Martin and Notre dame are on to something and can evolve the way the position is handled, running it more than like an NFL organization. If they can make it happen, the Fighting Irish could be a step ahead of the competition for years to come.