No position in college football has gained more value over the past five years than general manager. From booming salaries that now reach into seven figures to former NFL GMs and head coaches joining the ranks — and even celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal taking on honorary roles — the position has grown significantly in attention, stature and staffing.
Unlike the professional ranks, where the general manager role is mostly uniform, how college programs empower GMs differs dramatically from school to school. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart recently summed up the challenge of even defining the role.
“What does a general manager do, in your mind? I think it varies from organization to organization,” Smart said. “We have people that do various things instead of pinpointing the general manager, because I think if I ask every coach what their general manager does, they all do something different. So, I mean, I can’t figure out what you define it as, because when you ask me what is a general manager, I want to know what you think it does, because in the NFL they do [it] different than what they do at all.”
That ambiguity made CBS Sports’ task of compiling a list of the top college football general managers especially challenging. The role remains relatively new, and there’s no clear consensus on what constitutes success. Some programs value recruiting expertise. Others prioritize talent evaluation and leave recruiting to the coaching staff. Some want elite organizers above all else.
In many ways, what makes a great college football GM is in the eye of the beholder.
Still, CBS Sports spoke with a wide range of informed sources to identify the industry’s top figures. That included coaches, general managers, coaching agents, personnel…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/meet-college-footballs-kingmakers-22-front-office-executives-who-are-revolutionizing-how-rosters-are-built/
Author : John Talty
Publish date : 2025-07-30 19:17:00
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