Ithaca College
09/05/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/05/2025 08:52
The Man Behind the Roster
The Man Behind the Roster
By Patrick Bohn, September 5, 2025
Tariq Ahmad '04, MS '12 builds a winner with the San Francisco 49ers.
Tariq Ahmad '04, MS '12 has steadily climbed the ranks of the 49ers organization over the past 12 years. (Photo by Terrell Lloyd/San Francisco 49ers)
Tariq Ahmad '04, M.S. '12 didn't think Brock Purdy was irrelevant at all.
Purdy, the current starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, was selected with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, a spot that annually earns the player the designation "Mr. Irrelevant."
Ahmad, who at the time was the 49ers' director of college scouting, and had evaluated Purdy's play at Iowa State University, saw things differently than most analysts, who didn't think that Purdy was worth drafting at all.
"We graded Brock out to be a starting-caliber quarterback," he said. "Our whole organization loved him as a prospect."
In his first two seasons after being drafted, Purdy went 21-6 as a starter, guided the team to the Super Bowl, and finished fourth in league MVP voting. Given the low expectations typically associated with Mr. Irrelevant, he's widely regarded as one of the greatest draft picks of all time.
Ahmad's ability to spot what the other 31 franchises missed explains how he's risen through the ranks of San Francisco's personnel and scouting department, going from area scout to Vice President of Player Personnel over the past dozen years.
In his current role, which he was elevated to in January, Ahmad works with the team's general manager and coaching staff to evaluate college and pro players. The goal, as he puts it, is ultimately to "acquire the talent needed to assemble a team good enough to win the Super Bowl."
It's a position he's earned through hard work and climbing the ladder by proving to be a sharp evaluator of talent.
In many ways, his professional journey from scouting assistant to vice president mirrors his athletic career. An inductee to the Bombers' Athletic Hall of Fame, Ahmad was a three-sport athlete: an all-American offensive lineman for the football team, a conference champion thrower for the track and field team, and a member of the basketball team. Not bad for a player whose athletic beginnings in Holmdel, New Jersey, were rather humble.
"I got pushed to be the best I could be by [the coaching staff at Ithaca]. I learned so many life lessons from them, and realized I wasn't going to be done with the game when I was finished playing."
Tariq Ahmad '04, MS' 12
"I played recreational sports as a kid, but I didn't start to play competitively until high school. And even then, I wasn't very good; I really needed to develop my skills. The football coaches were all nice to me though, because I was big," Ahmad says, in his typical dry wit.
Although he would eventually become a college-caliber football player by the time he graduated, it was the academic program that drove his college decision. "My parents both had PhDs, and they wanted the best education possible for me," he said. "I wanted to study athletic training, and few programs compared to Ithaca's. I loved how hands-on the classes were, so I made up my mind quickly that IC was the place for me."
In fact, Ahmad's first interactions with the football staff at Ithaca came after he'd made up his mind to come to South Hill-unbeknownst to then-head coach Mike Welch '73 and his staff.
Ahmad became an all-American and one of the greatest offensive linemen in Ithaca College history. (Photo courtesy of Ithaca College athletic communications)
Ahmad became an all-American and one of the greatest offensive linemen in Ithaca College history. (Photo courtesy of Ithaca College athletic communications)
"I was on my second visit to campus and [then-defensive coordinator] Mark Raymond found me while I was on my tour and said, 'I want you to talk to you about the football program.' I guess my high school coach had called and told them I was going to be on campus. So, I was taken on an impromptu recruiting visit."
After letting the coaches know he was already committed to Ithaca, Ahmad joined the team, and his love affair with the sport really began.
"I got pushed to be the best I could be by coach Welch, coach Raymond, and [former offensive coordinator] Brian Angelichio," he said. "I learned so many life lessons from them, and realized I wasn't going to be done with the game when I was finished playing."
By this time, Ahmad had switched his major to health and physical education, with his mind set on becoming "the winningest high school football coach in New Jersey."
He might have been on his way there as, after graduating, he took a job at Lakewood High School, coaching football, track, and basketball. But then the phone rang. It was Welch.
"Mike called me and asked me to come back and work with the football program while getting my master's degree," Ahmad said. "I jumped at the opportunity."
A three-sport athlete while at Ithaca, Ahmad was inducted into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. (Photo courtesy of Ithaca College athletic communications)
A three-sport athlete while at Ithaca, Ahmad was inducted into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. (Photo courtesy of Ithaca College athletic communications)
He returned to Ithaca, working with the Bombers' running game and towards his graduate degree in exercise and sport sciences. But before long, he was presented with an opportunity to earn a different type of advanced degree.
"A job opened up at Rutgers University on their football staff," he said. "I felt I couldn't pass up the opportunity, so I left IC to take the position and…wow.
"We have a very advanced program for Division III," Ahmad explains. "But with the investment put in at the Division I level, it's like you're getting a PhD in football."
After spending two years working with playbooks and practice plans, he realized he wasn't in love with life as a coach, in particular the instability inherent in the position. So, he moved to the recruiting side, serving as the Scarlet Knights' director of recruiting operations. There, he drew heavily on what he learned at Ithaca.
"I did so many things as a grad assistant at IC. I was the video coordinator, I was helping come up with practice plans, I was helping with travel logistics. That gave me a diverse skill set I could bring to [the Rutgers] job."
Tariq Ahmad
"My undergraduate degree had given me the opportunity to work with high school students. It had opened the door to a high school coaching job, getting me even more experience," he said. "And I did so many things as a grad assistant at IC. I was the video coordinator, I was helping come up with practice plans, I was helping with travel logistics. That gave me a diverse skill set I could bring to that job."
After seven years in Piscataway-during which time he completed the master's degree he began at Ithaca-Ahmad had made his mark. Still, he was a bit wary of the long-term stability of a career in college football and decided it was time to shoot his shot at the pros. He reached out to three franchises he'd made connections with through his role at Rutgers. One of those organizations was the 49ers, who invited him out to their camp for three days.
"I attended meetings, watched tape of college players, and wrote evaluations on three players from the upcoming draft class," he recalled. "After my time was up, they offered me a job as a scouting assistant."
In his current role Ahmad works closely with members of the 49er front office, including General Manager John Lynch (on phone), to make roster decisions. (Photo courtesy of Terrell Lloyd/San Francisco 49ers)
He was quickly promoted to area scout for the Northeast region, where he'd visit colleges and watch games to find potential NFL prospects.
Ahmad proved to have an eagle eye for evaluating players, but he also possessed another skill that he believes helped his career.
"When you're in a player personnel position at the NFL, you're judged on your 'hit' rate with prospects; whether you've correctly identified the type of player and person they can be at this level," he said. "But the other component you're judged on is, 'How are you as a professional?' My time at Ithaca, playing for and working with a consummate professional like Coach Welch, gives me an edge."
That edge was noticed not just by the 49ers, but by the entire league. In December 2023, Ahmad was invited to participate in the NFL's Front Office & General Manager Accelerator program. There, he attended the league's annual meetings, took part in leadership sessions, and participated in practice interviews led by former GMs.
"That was a great experience," Ahmad said. "My job has shifted from being on the road to more an in-house role, and I love what I do. And I believe that my experiences and the path I'm on will take me towards a GM position if that's what I decide to pursue."
"In San Francisco, we've got strict rules about wearing 49ers gear when you're at the team facility," he said. "But when I'm not there? That's when I wear my IC stuff. People think it's funny, but I call my Ithaca apparel my fancy clothes."
Tariq Ahmad
And although he no longer has time to closely follow the Bombers on Saturdays, Ahmad is still connected to the program. He called it an "incredible honor" to serve on the search committees for Welch's successor, Dan Swanstrom, and current head coach Mike Toerper.
He's also mentored former Bombers with next-level aspirations-such as 2019 all-American wide receiver Will Gladney, who briefly signed with the Dresden Monarchs of the German Football League in 2022-about the process of getting prepared for professional tryouts. And he recently evaluated Derek Sylwka '23 at a 49ers minicamp before the all-American safety signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
Through it all, Ahmad wears his Bomber pride on his sleeve, literally.
"In my current role, I'm in San Francisco more than I used to be, and we've got strict rules about wearing 49ers gear when you're at the team facility," he said. "But when I'm not there? That's when I wear my IC stuff. People think it's funny, but I call my Ithaca apparel my fancy clothes."
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Ithaca College published this content on September 05, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 05, 2025 at 14:52 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]