The trend of major NFL coaches and executives entering college football has continued this week, highlighted by Notre Dame hiring Lions director of scouting advancement Mike Martin, according to ESPN and other reports.
As more schools have started adding GMs for their football programs, NFL figures have become splashy hires for those jobs, including:
- Cal: Former Commanders and Panthers coach Ron Rivera
- North Carolina: Former Browns GM and Patriots executive Mike Lombardi
- Notre Dame: Lions executive Mike Martin
- Stanford: Former quarterback Andrew Luck
While some hires like Luck and Rivera are alumni of their respective schools, others have been hired strictly on the basis of improving the football team. Notre Dame went the NFL route after losing former GM Chad Bowden to USC. The Fighting Irish also explored hiring Texas Tech GM James Blanchard.
Back to School
Following Bill Belichick’s shocking move to college to coach UNC, other NFL coaches are doing the same, in varying capacities.
Matt Patricia, who worked for the Patriots under Belichick, was hired by Ohio State this week as its new defensive coordinator. “There’s a salary cap, there’s NIL. You can get players now,” Patricia told Front Office Sports during an interview last week in New Orleans.
Perhaps following in the footsteps of Deion Sanders, former quarterback Michael Vick recently became the head coach of FCS school Norfolk State.
