Notre Dame Football Hires New GM from NFL's Detroit Lions

Marcus Freeman is going with an NFL model to continue to build Notre Dame football

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during the College Football Playoff game between Notre Dame and Indiana. / Michael Clubb/South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has found his replacement to be the next general manager of the program.

And he went to one of the NFL's most successful teams in recent years to do it.

Mike Martin has been the director of scouting advancement for the Detroit Lions for the past four years. According to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, Martin is leaving that role to become the general manager of the Notre Dame football program.

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

According to the Detroit Lions webpage:

Martin was an integral part of constructing a 2023 roster that helped the Lions to a 12-5 record, tying the single-season franchise record for wins in a season. The 2023 season was the third season in team history to have multiple playoff games won, and the first time it occurred in a season for the franchise since 1957. The 2023 roster construction was also pivotal in helping Detroit clinch their first Division Championship since 1993 and advance to their first NFC Championship since 1991. Before coming to Detroit, Martin most recently served as the southwest area scout for the Carolina Panthers from 2018-20.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thought:

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26), right, celebrates his fourth touchdown of the day during the second half against Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Martin is the kind of hire that goes along with the NFL model. He sees and evaluates talent and scouting and helps identify the best players to target in recruiting or in the transfer portal. I won't pretend to know how much recruiting he will actually do but having a valuable set of eyes that helped put together an incredibly talented Lions roster certainly comes with a lot to like.

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