Notre Dame Football has added experienced personnel executive Mike Martin as the program’s new general manager. Martin arrives in South Bend with more than two decades of NFL scouting and personnel experience, most recently serving as the director of scouting advancement for the Detroit Lions.
“Mike is an innovative, forward-thinking leader with an elite eye for talent,” said Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. “His expertise in roster building, player evaluation, and sports science will help us continue to elevate our program. He was a key figure in developing the Detroit Lions’ roster in recent years, and his knowledge will be invaluable to our future success.”
Martin played a significant role in the Lions’ rise, working with both college and professional scouting departments to refine the team’s roster-building process. His contributions helped Detroit achieve a franchise-record 15-2 regular season in 2024, following a 12-5 campaign in 2023 that saw the Lions capture their first division title since 1993 and advance to their first NFC Championship Game since 1991.
Before joining the Lions, Martin worked with the Carolina Panthers (2018-20) as a southwest area scout and spent 11 seasons with the Houston Texans, holding positions ranging from college scout to assistant director of college scouting. His NFL career began with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he rose from pro personnel assistant to national combine scout over four years. He first entered the league as an intern with the Tennessee Titans in 2002.
A cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt (2003), Martin was a four-year defensive back for the Commodores and a finalist for Male SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He holds both a bachelor’s degree in human and organizational development studies and a master’s in organizational leadership from Vanderbilt.
Martin and his wife, Cari, have two children, Maddon and Malone.