One of the major roles head coach Marcus Freeman had to fill in the offseason, along with replacing a premier defensive coordinator and premier running backs coach, was replacing Chad Bowden who was their General Manager in 2024. Bowden departed South Bend and headed to Los Angeles to fill the same role for the USC Trojans. In February, Freeman found their answer in Mike Martin who was the Director of Scouting Advancement for the Detroit Lions for the last four seasons. His impact was felt immediately.
Yesterday was National Signing Day, and Notre Dame was the only P4 school that went through the entire recruiting cycle without a de-commitment, something that's unprecedented in this day and age of college football. In their press conference yesterday afternoon, Freeman talked about Martin's impact on the recruiting cycle.
"It's been tremendous," Freeman answered. "We knew evaluation was going to be a strength of his, but the ability to recruit and develop relationships with young people has really stuck out to me. I knew that would be a transition for him coming from the NFL, but as you've seen, he's done a tremendous job of developing those relationships with the young people and their parents and families. It's been a great addition to our staff and our program. I'm looking forward to seeing what he continues to do."
Martin had an eye for talent, and it's not a secret that his role for the Lions played a major role in Detroit's overall turnaround. They went from being one of the worst teams in the NFL to one of the best teams in the league in a matter of four seasons. His background in the professional league aided him strongly in his first recruiting cycle in South Bend.
"There are a lot of people that are interested in what I have to say," Martin explained. "That came as a surprise to me. I think that was the surprising thing, being able to kind of connect with the parents and even the young men. I think I have a natural connection that way, because I think most of these young men, all of these young men, aspire to one day play in the NFL. With my NFL background, I think that gives me some credibility with them. We're able to have some conversations, how I see them, and do I think they have the ability to make it to the next level. So it sort of walks you into these conversations."
One of the biggest pieces to Detroit's major turnaround was the performance of the backfield. Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery quickly became an electric duo for the motor city. Identifying and recognizing that level of talent helped Martin in his search for the running backs in this class and closing out the recruiting process for Javien Osborne and Jonaz Walton on a high note.
"So first, Jonaz Walton," Martin said. "It's rare when you find that combination of size and speed. He is a tough person, a powerful young man that is a big kid. When you see him up close and in person, you're sort of taken back by how big he is and how he's put together. He's a muscular, strong kid, but he can just flat out run. That's a God-given ability and talent. He does a lot of things in the running game, in the pass game and as a returner. He just offers incredible value as it relates to what he brings to our program."
"Javion Osborne's just a naturally gifted runner," Martin continued. "He has vision, anticipation, feel and instincts that are unusual for high school running backs. I was able to see that right away on film. I think with the very first time I saw his film, I looked and I was like, 'oh, who's this kid?' Right away, I was like, 'We got to get him on the phone.' He's just an extraordinary talent as it relates to it. He sees things differently. He sees the field in color and that’s the kind of talent we’re looking for."
As it stands, Martin has been an incredibly impactful hire and this was just his first recruiting cycle in South Bend. His impact was felt immediately and is already looking to make improvements and evolve as a recruiting staff. I think it's safe to say that we can add Mike Martin to the list of successful hires for the head coach.
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