Notre Dame Still Searching For GM, James Blanchard To Stay At Texas Tech

With Texas Tech’s James Blanchard staying put, Notre Dame’s search for a new general manager continues. Is there anyone on the radar?

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Notre Dame looked like it had its man, until it didn't

Shortly after Irish GM Chad Bowden declared his lifelong love and adoration for USC and left South Bend for sunny Los Angeles for the same role, Notre Dame had identified and zeroed in on its top replacement candidate, Texas Tech GM James Blanchard. By all accounts, Blanchard is considered a rising star in the new college football GM space and the Irish made a hard run at him.

Discussions with Blanchard must have progressed quite well over a couple weeks span resulting in him visiting South Bend for more formal talks with Irish brass.

After all of this back and forth, Blanchard has decided to stay in Texas. Whether due to family obligations, money, or any other reason, Notre Dame must now move on to plan B.

The question now becomes though, what and who is Plan B?

Who do the Irish turn to now?

Unlike head and assistant coaching searches, a college GM search is more complicated. Why? This is a fairly new role in college football. Candidate names are hard to come by and are rarely names that Irish fans and media have ever even heard of.

Who will the Irish turn to next in their search? It doesn't seem like anyone knows the answer to this as Blanchard was clearly the main original target.

This leaves the Irish in a bit of a tight spot. This role is critical and must be filled soon to keep Notre Dame's recruiting operation moving efficiently, but Notre Dame cannot rush a hire and must also take its time to select the right candidate.

There's never a dull moment in Notre Dame land, and the GM drama and search is just the next episode in the Notre Dame offseason soap opera.

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