Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has become the assistant general manager of Eastern Michigan’s football team, an unprecedented role for an active player to have with a college program. And Eastern Michigan believes there are unique benefits to having a staff member who’s playing on Sundays.

Eastern Michigan Athletic Director Scott Wetherbee said recruits who want to make it to the NFL will naturally want to be part of a program Crosby is involved in.

“He’s somebody that’s going to give us the opportunity to help us evaluate talent whether it’s high schoolers or prospects who are transferring, but also being willing to be a mentor,” Wetherbee said, via Raiders.com. “He has the kind of a call out like, ‘If you want to be the best defensive end in the country, come to Eastern Michigan because I’m going to help you to get there’ and show all walks of life what it means to be a defensive end in the National Football League.”

Wetherbee said getting Crosby on board just before the transfer portal opened was important.

“[I]t was very intentional to do it around our spring game, do it around the portal opening and also having the opportunity to be the first to have an active NFL player,” Wetherbee said. “And again, it’s just us trying to be forward thinking in how do we put Eastern Michigan and Eastern Michigan football in the best light and do everything we can to keep us moving forward.”

Crosby, who played at Eastern Michigan from 2015 to 2018, said he is eager to see the program win its first Mid-American Conference championship since 1987.

“The most important thing for me with Eastern Michigan is helping us get a MAC Championship,” he said. “Obviously as a player, that was a a goal of mine and we didn’t get that done. We made many bowl games but the next step is winning a MAC Championship. I’ve been heavily involved with the organization and the whole football team since I got in the league and I feel like I’ve had a responsibility. Now that I’ve had some more years in the league, I can take that next step in helping us get there. I’ve been doing things behind the scenes for awhile but now having the opportunity to have a bigger voice, a real title and getting us to that next step is truly all that maters to me.”

As the college football landscape changes dramatically, programs without the ability to pay players millions of dollars need to find other ways to attract transfers and high school recruits. The presence of a well-respected figure like Crosby could make a difference to Eastern Michigan.