Notre Dame Poach Detroit Lions Front Office To Build Irish Roster

The Detroit Lions already had to watch as both of their offensive coordinators left for well-deserved promotions and now another piece of the Motor City machine will join a new home with greater responsibility.

Mike Martin may not be a name that every Lions fan knows, but he played a key role in building the talented roster Detroit has fielded over the past few seasons. He joined the Lions' front office staff in 2021 as director of scouting advancement.

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Considering the Lions hit on prospects such as Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson since his hiring, it's safe to say Martin is well qualified for his next job.

Reports from multiple outlets indicate that the University of Notre Dame hired Martin as the program's new general manager. Having worked under Brad Holmes for the past three seasons in Detroit, the Irish are getting a quality presence in their own front office.

Of course, this is somewhat new territory as general managers hadn't been a necessity in college athletics before the rise of Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities for student-athletes.

Naturally, Martin's job will be to find the next great Irish players while also making sure the books stay balanced when it comes to player compensation.

Famously, former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly left the program for LSU citing the difficulty of recruiting elite talent to the program due to academic standards. Ironically, his replacement, Marcus Freeman, already led the Irish to a College Football Playoff National Championship appearance this past season.

Freeman's 2024 season was a breakout performance, so the pressure shifts from getting to the mountaintop to staying there and winning a few championships in the process. Without a doubt, Freeman hopes that hiring Martin will help keep his Fighting Irish in the hunt for a national championship in the coming years.