The school soccer normal supervisor is without doubt one of the fastest-changing roles within the sport, and lots of main applications have taken massive swings this offseason. Simply this previous week, Nebraska seemed to the NFL degree for GM assist, whereas Oklahoma employed longtime scout Jim Nagy. Texas promoted an inside participant personnel staffer, Brandon Harris, and Wisconsin leaned on administrator Marcus Sedberry.
The overall supervisor place remains to be largely in its infancy as groups attempt to determine one of the best ways to deploy sources. Some applications are pulling from the professionals to construct NFL-style personnel departments with scouting and roster administration arms. Others have seemed to the faculty ranks, together with personnel administrators and scouts. The approaching years will show which mannequin works finest.
Listed below are a couple of of the highest-profile normal supervisor hires of the offseason and the way they could slot in with their respective groups.
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Oklahoma: Jim Nagy
Background: Senior Bowl director, NFL scout
What units Oklahoma aside as one of many blue blood applications in school soccer is its sheer organizational competence. From Wilkinson to Riley and everybody in between, Oklahoma has stayed forward of the curve and located benefits. In hiring Nagy, a longtime NFL scout and govt director of the Senior Bowl, Oklahoma hopes it has discovered yet one more benefit.
Nagy has lengthy been revered for his scouting capacity and even interviewed for NFL normal supervisor positions. He has a variety of contacts throughout the NFL and school soccer, which needs to be a serious profit to constructing a roster each by way of highschool and switch portal. Oklahoma has recruited exceptionally effectively below coach Brent Venables, however this system has two dropping seasons prior to now three years. Nagy’s ability set needs to be particularly welcome within the switch portal along with his background scouting school gamers for the Senior Bowl.
One factor to look at within the coming years is whether or not Nagy is tied extra to Venables or the athletic division as Venables enters 2025 on one of many hottest seats in school soccer. In response to On3, Venables was not a part of the seek for a GM. Definitely, it might appear Nagy would require a longer-term dedication to hitch this system.
Background: Longtime NFL personnel staffer, NFL GM
Lombardi has deep ties within the NFL relationship again to his time beginning as a scout with the San Francisco 49ers in 1984. Despite the fact that he solely spent one yr as a normal supervisor (2013 with the Cleveland Browns), he’s thought-about a extremely influential personnel staffer in trendy NFL historical past. North Carolina coach Invoice Belichick made Lombardi high precedence when he was employed in Chapel Hill, in the end making him this system’s first rent.
Lombardi has not held a proper soccer function since working as assistant to the teaching employees with Belichick’s New England Patriots in 2016. He has since primarily labored in media. For sure, the transition to varsity athletics could possibly be a stark one, although one he stays enthusiastic about. Lombardi has added a handful of directors with school ties, together with ex-UCF staffer Andrew Blaylock as affiliate director of participant personnel, to assist the method. Nevertheless, Lombardi’s biggest asset might merely be his credibility.
Background: Detroit Lions scout
After dropping Bowden, the Irish reportedly went after Texas Tech GM James Blanchard, who comes from a deep highschool scouting background. As an alternative, Notre Dame seemed to the Detroit Lions, one of the vital well-constructed soccer rosters of the previous few years. It is a completely different strategy than the college-focused Bowden however one that might present advantages.
The Lions have finished a sensational job of figuring out younger expertise with upside throughout their NFL Draft course of. The Preventing Irish have robust success as a developmental program, and Martin ought to have the ability to translate his expertise imaginative and prescient to the collegiate degree. It is going to be attention-grabbing to see how Notre Dame’s acquisition technique modifications after transferring from a school personnel staffer to an NFL one.
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USC: Chad Bowden
Background: Notre Dame GM, participant personnel staffer
Not like lots of the different names on this record, Bowden is a college-to-college poaching. Bowden got here with Marcus Freeman from Cincinnati to Notre Dame as a personnel staffer earlier than he was formally promoted to normal supervisor earlier than the 2024 season. At Notre Dame, Bowden helped assemble one of many deepest, most proficient rosters in program historical past to succeed in the CFP Nationwide Championship Recreation.
Bowden got here up on the defensive facet of the ball and discovered from two of the very best — Freeman and Luke Fickell — the way to determine defensive expertise. That will probably be a serious boon for USC as this system tries to search out its footing below coach Lincoln Riley. Bowden’s presence has already introduced some profit as USC just lately took over because the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026. Not like many on this record, Bowden has a lot better observe document scouting highschool.
Moreover, like many offensive minded coaches, Riley has struggled to assemble a whole roster. Particularly at Oklahoma, his star expertise vastly over listed at extensive receiver and quarterback. Having a brand new set of eyes within the room to guage the recruiting operation ought to assist result in a extra balanced roster.
Background: New England Patriots personnel
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule has a singular perspective as a head coach at each the collegiate and NFL degree. He leaned on his NFL bonafides as soon as once more to deliver longtime New England Patriots staffer Patrick Stewart to Lincoln. Stewart beforehand spent three years below Rhule with the Carolina Panthers, and he even labored with Rhule at Western Carolina and Temple earlier than touchdown within the NFL.
The Cornhuskers are thought-about to have one of many extra strong NIL operations in school soccer, so managing rosters and constructing NFL-style infrastructure will probably be Stewart’s high precedence. Reportedly, present GM Sean Padden will transfer to a job centered on wage cap and contracts, which is able to complement Stewart’s skillset.
Rhule has a protracted historical past of discovering and retaining staffers that he trusts throughout stops and ranges. That he recognized Stewart — and located a special function for Padden, a longtime Rhule staffer — is a robust endorsement of his belief.