Christian Sarkisian Named General Manager of Northwestern Athletics
5/13/2025 9:07:00 AM | Football, General, Men's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern University Department of Athletics and Recreation has announced the appointment of Christian Sarkisian as its General Manager. Sarkisian, a Northwestern alum who previously worked in the Department, brings a strong background in professional football scouting and collegiate athletics administration.
"We are thrilled to welcome Christian back to Northwestern and into a role that is vital to the future of our athletics program," said Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson. "Christian brings a wealth of experience from his time in the NFL and his previous work here in Evanston, particularly in areas such as student-athlete evaluation, recruitment and strategic resources. His perspective and leadership will be instrumental as we navigate a rapidly changing college athletics environment and continue to support our student-athletes at the highest level."
As General Manager, Sarkisian will oversee the operational functions related to the NCAA House settlement, which is pending formal approval, and its impact on all of Northwestern's intercollegiate athletics programs. He will also oversee all aspects of salary cap management for Northwestern Athletics, with a primary emphasis on football. This position, now commonplace across Power Four athletic programs, will be responsible for developing and executing the department's revenue-sharing strategy, including tracking and distributing revenue share payments and additional scholarship allocations. Sarkisian will lead student-athlete evaluations, contract negotiations and will be accountable for the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) clearinghouse.
"I am honored to return to Evanston as the GM of Northwestern Athletics," said Sarkisian. "After seven years learning from the greatest of football minds and leaders, I feel ready to help add to the legacy of Northwestern's athletic programs. From growing up never missing a Saturday at Ryan Field to helping build rosters that won bowl games and went to the Big Ten Championship, I've learned, and have been raised by, the Northwestern standard of excellence, and I look forward to doing my part to elevate our athletic programs."
Sarkisian will contribute to long-term strategic planning and act as an advisor to senior leadership. Additionally, he will work closely with coaches to establish and manage annual scholarship budgets and revenue allocations, forecast and analyze future recruiting class needs, and provide recommendations for student-athlete revenue-share distributions. Sarkisian will develop and implement systems to effectively evaluate and value student-athletes for various sports through comprehensive assessments that consider factors beyond traditional statistics and will monitor and track current roster expenditures to ensure alignment with market trends and Northwestern fiscal priorities.
A veteran NFL scout, Sarkisian returns to Northwestern after nearly seven years with the Cincinnati Bengals. During his time with the Bengals, he was a member of the personnel department that contributed to two AFC Championship appearances. His responsibilities included college and pro scouting, involvement in personnel decisions, evaluating prospects, managing pre-NFL Draft visits, and contributing to roster and salary cap management. Prior to his role with the Bengals, Sarkisian was a Scouting Assistant with National Football Scouting/National Invitational Camp.
"Christian has been an invaluable member of the Bengals organization since he joined the team seven years ago," said Bengals President Mike Brown. "He is bright and hard-working but most importantly, he is a good person. He deserves this opportunity. Northwestern made a smart move in hiring him."
Sarkisian worked at Northwestern as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting Assistant from 2015 to 2017. He holds a Master of Arts in Sports Administration from Northwestern and a Bachelor of Science in Sports Leadership & Management from Miami University.
"We are thrilled to welcome Christian back to Northwestern and into a role that is vital to the future of our athletics program," said Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson. "Christian brings a wealth of experience from his time in the NFL and his previous work here in Evanston, particularly in areas such as student-athlete evaluation, recruitment and strategic resources. His perspective and leadership will be instrumental as we navigate a rapidly changing college athletics environment and continue to support our student-athletes at the highest level."
As General Manager, Sarkisian will oversee the operational functions related to the NCAA House settlement, which is pending formal approval, and its impact on all of Northwestern's intercollegiate athletics programs. He will also oversee all aspects of salary cap management for Northwestern Athletics, with a primary emphasis on football. This position, now commonplace across Power Four athletic programs, will be responsible for developing and executing the department's revenue-sharing strategy, including tracking and distributing revenue share payments and additional scholarship allocations. Sarkisian will lead student-athlete evaluations, contract negotiations and will be accountable for the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) clearinghouse.
"I am honored to return to Evanston as the GM of Northwestern Athletics," said Sarkisian. "After seven years learning from the greatest of football minds and leaders, I feel ready to help add to the legacy of Northwestern's athletic programs. From growing up never missing a Saturday at Ryan Field to helping build rosters that won bowl games and went to the Big Ten Championship, I've learned, and have been raised by, the Northwestern standard of excellence, and I look forward to doing my part to elevate our athletic programs."
Sarkisian will contribute to long-term strategic planning and act as an advisor to senior leadership. Additionally, he will work closely with coaches to establish and manage annual scholarship budgets and revenue allocations, forecast and analyze future recruiting class needs, and provide recommendations for student-athlete revenue-share distributions. Sarkisian will develop and implement systems to effectively evaluate and value student-athletes for various sports through comprehensive assessments that consider factors beyond traditional statistics and will monitor and track current roster expenditures to ensure alignment with market trends and Northwestern fiscal priorities.
A veteran NFL scout, Sarkisian returns to Northwestern after nearly seven years with the Cincinnati Bengals. During his time with the Bengals, he was a member of the personnel department that contributed to two AFC Championship appearances. His responsibilities included college and pro scouting, involvement in personnel decisions, evaluating prospects, managing pre-NFL Draft visits, and contributing to roster and salary cap management. Prior to his role with the Bengals, Sarkisian was a Scouting Assistant with National Football Scouting/National Invitational Camp.
"Christian has been an invaluable member of the Bengals organization since he joined the team seven years ago," said Bengals President Mike Brown. "He is bright and hard-working but most importantly, he is a good person. He deserves this opportunity. Northwestern made a smart move in hiring him."
Sarkisian worked at Northwestern as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting Assistant from 2015 to 2017. He holds a Master of Arts in Sports Administration from Northwestern and a Bachelor of Science in Sports Leadership & Management from Miami University.
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