Northwestern Coaches Excited by Athletic Department's GM Hire

The world of college sports is rapidly evolving and has been since NIL was introduced in 2021. Now, Northwestern has followed in the footsteps of other schools and hired a general manager to help it deal with emerging factors like revenue sharing and NIL negotiations.

The university officially hired Christian Sarkisian for the role yesterday who previously worked at the school as an Assistant Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting Assistant from 2015 to 2017. He also went to Northwestern for his Master's in Sports Administration.

Today, head coaches from different sports at NU released statements about the hire, expressing excitement to work with Sarkisian.

Sarkisian will be working with all of the school's athletic programs, but football will be his primary concern. After his time at Northwestern, he became a scout for the Cincinnati Bengals. Wildcat head coach David Braun thinks his experience in the NFL will be an asset to the football program.

"He’s perfectly positioned to help us navigate the complexities of the new college athletics landscape and ensure the continued success of our Football program,” Braun said.

Men's Basketball head coach Chris Collins, who signed an extension through 2030 this spring, was similarly positive in his statement.

“Christian’s extensive experience with salary cap management, scouting and player personnel will be an incredible asset to Northwestern in the modern collegiate athletics landscape," Collins said. "I can’t wait to work with Christian to elevate Northwestern Men’s Basketball.”

For Northwestern, it made sense to hire someone for this role with experience at the university. As a private Big Ten institution with high academic standards, NU is fairly unique. Lacrosse head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller pointed out the importance of Sarkisian's familiarity with Northwestern in her statement.

“Having our first GM be a professional coming from the NFL who understands our university – someone who grew up at Ryan Field – gives us a leg up. We are excited to work with Christian as we all continue to adapt to the new landscape," Amonte Hiller said.

As Sarkisian transitions into his new role, it certainly seems like the university's coaches are behind him and excited to help him lead Northwestern into a new era.

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