The NCAA's Newest Power Players: The Rise of the GM

Moderator: Michael Lewis

Panelists: Andrew Luck, Adrian Wojnarowski

The NCAA has entered a new era - one shaped by NIL, the transfer portal, and a talent market that looks more like free agency than the traditional recruiting of the past. As the landscape shifts, programs are adapting by introducing General Managers, a role long associated with professional sports but now critical to navigating college athletics. In this discussion, Andrew Luck (GM, Stanford Football) and Adrian Wojnarowski (GM, St. Bonaventure Basketball), explore how front-office leadership is evolving at the college level. What separates a great college GM from their professional counterparts? How do you balance player recruitment and retention when the rules change by the year? And as college sports become increasingly commercialized, how do these new decision-makers shape the future of the game?