Notre Dame hires Mike Martin as their next general manager, and he comes with a very interesting NFL scouting background
After the Notre Dame staff wasn’t able to hire Texas Tech GM James Blanchard to become the school’s newest general manager, it was back to the drawing board for head coach Marcus Freeman and the university. Things had gone mostly silent in that search, although it appeared Coach Freeman was working from a smaller board. […]
After the Notre Dame staff wasn’t able to hire Texas Tech GM James Blanchard to become the school’s newest general manager, it was back to the drawing board for head coach Marcus Freeman and the university. Things had gone mostly silent in that search, although it appeared Coach Freeman was working from a smaller board. He knew who the school wanted.
We found out who that target was early on Friday morning, when it was announced that the school was finalizing a deal with Mike Martin, who was the former Detroit Lions director of scouting advancement. Martin had served in that position with the Lions the last four seasons.
In that role, Martin served with both the college and pro personnel departments to enhance their roster building and scouting process. That background brings an extremely interesting profile for a new general manager, having worked in all areas of the team scouting process with varying rankings of staff members.
During Martin’s four seasons with the Lions, the team was able to ascend to one of the very best teams in the NFL. That’s especially true the last two seasons where Detroit put together a 27-7 overall record. The 2023 season was just the team’s third time in history to win multiple playoff games, and the first since 1957. That season also brought the Lions their first Division Championship since 1993, and first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991.
Before coming to Detroit, Martin had most recently served as the Southwest area scout for the Carolina Panthers from 2018-20. And before that, he spent 11 seasons with the Houston Texans, serving as the team's assistant director of college scouting in 2017, a national scout from 2015-16, and as a college scout from 2007-14. Martin also had stops with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans, where he began his career.
Martin was a finalist for the 2003 Male SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, where Martin played four seasons at Vanderbilt (1999-02) as a defensive back as well as special teams. He graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in human and organizational developmental studies in 2002. In 2003, he earned a master's degree in organizational leadership from Vanderbilt.
Overall, Martin brings a very impressive resume to South Bend. On the surface, this is a very intriguing hire with a load of scouting experience.
