The college football landscape has changed exponentially in recent years. The Colorado State Rams made a move last week, hiring a former longtime NFL GM, that will help modernize their approach as a program moving forward.
Former NFL GM Hired by Colorado State as Consultant, Will Help Build Football Front Office
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported late last week that the Rams were hiring former Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert as a consultant to the football program.
It will come “as part of the school’s push to stay at the forefront for the new era of college football.”
Thamel continued, “Colbert will help coach Jay Norvell and the school’s player personnel department set up systems for building a football front office.”
Sources: Colorado State is bringing on former Pittsburgh Steelers GM Kevin Colbert as a consultant, part of the school’s push to stay at the forefront for the new era of college football. Colbert will help coach Jay Norvell and the school’s player personnel department set up… pic.twitter.com/ZHjnQfRLhN
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 30, 2025
Hired by the Steelers in 2000 to be their director of football operations, Colbert was named the franchise’s first-ever general manager in 2010. He stayed in that position, adding the title of vice president in 2016, until he left the organization in 2022.
Colbert will provide an immense amount of experience for the Rams’ program as they continue to adjust to the changing landscape of college football.
With the advent of the transfer portal, name, image, and likeness (NIL), and conference realignment, more and more personnel at the college level are needed to handle the many obligations. It’s much like the NFL, and Colorado State is heading towards a structure very similar to an NFL front office.
Other programs across the country have begun making changes just like this.
When Bill Belichick was hired as the North Carolina Tar Heels’ head coach in December, he brought along longtime NFL front office executive Michael Lombardi to be the program’s general manager, a role not often seen in college sports.
The role aims to take the load off of the head coach, allowing him to focus on the product on the field and the basics of the recruiting. NIL, transfer details, and overall financial talks will be a large part of the general managers workload.
The Rams, coming off an 8-4 regular season, including a 6-1 record in Mountain West Conference play, are trying to get ahead of the curve by hiring Colbert.
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Changes are ahead for the Colorado State program, as they’re set to join the Pac-12 conference prior to the 2026 football season. During that shift, the hope is Rams head coach Jay Norvell can focus on coaching football and recruiting.
In the end, moves like hiring Colbert allows Norvell — and coaches across the country — to shift their focus back to coaching football and puts more qualified individuals in charge of the front office activities.
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