Notre Dame is set to install Detroit Lions director of scouting advancement Mike Martin as the successor to Chad Bowden as general manager after he departed for USC.
The Fighting Irish have offered the former Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers figure a multi-year contract worth an estimated “$500,000 annually, plus bonus incentives”, according to FootballScoop. Moreover, ESPN claims that the hiring of Martin is part of a specific effort to shape the team in the image of an “NFL model” following his work in Detroit.
Martin enjoys a well-established reputation within the football community as a result of his efforts with the Lions over the space of the last four seasons. Helping to construct the Ford Field outfit’s roster for the 2023 NFL season, the team reached the NFC Championship Game before falling to defeat against the San Francisco 49ers.
In 2024, the Lions reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs, reaching the post-season for a second year in a row, eventually losing against the Washington Commanders. Martin had previously served as a southwest area scout for the Carolina Panthers before landing his role in Michigan.
Before this, his posts included spells with the Texans as a assistant director of college scouting, national scout and college scout. Martin also served as the Buccaneers pro personnel assistant, pro scout and southeast region and national combine scout during his time in Tampa Bay.
His remit at Notre Dame will involve him overseeing the transition to a new era following on from the departure of predecessor Bowden. He previously met with Fighting Irish athletics director Pete Bevacqua, NIL official Scott Connors and head coach Freeman for talks last week.
(Image: Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Last season, the school reached the coveted national championship game, losing the showpiece against Ohio State in a 34-23 thriller. Despite the loss, HC Freeman predicted that success would continue for the program moving forward, as he asserted: “I told these guys, they’ve left this program better.
I don’t care if you were here for one year or you’ve been here for six years. “The outlook of Notre Dame football is extremely high. As long as the people in that locker room that come back understand what it takes, the work these guys have put in, there’s a lot of success in our future.”
Meanwhile, former Fighting Irish GM Bowden explained the circumstances surrounding his departure from his post with Notre Dame after joining USC. Speaking at a press conference following his unveiling in his job, he admitted: “Notre Dame did everything they could to keep me there.
“USC, for me, it meant more to me. When I was a kid, I watched Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush — that was my team. … USC kind of held something in my heart, while adding: “I thought coming here I could have the type of success I want to have, and I could be able to sustain it. That’s a big reason why I chose USC.”
Bowden wasted no time in recruiting Notre Dame player personnel director Zaire Turner having been installed, Dre Brown and Max Steinecker joined from Illinois and Wisconsin, respectively. Explaining his joy after joining USC, the former Notre Dame figure continued: “This is the happiest I’ve been in a very long time.”
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
