Lincoln Riley revs up USC-Notre Dame rivalry by poaching Marcus Freeman's right-hand man
The 2024 college football season was a kick in the teeth for Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans. Not only did they stumble to a 7-6 record, but they got to watch rival Notre Dame make a run through the College Football Playoff.
Lucky for the Trojans, they didn't have to watch the Fighting Irish lift the trophy at the end of it all. And now they're taking a literal page out of Notre Dame's playbook.
On Friday, USC reportedly completed the hiring of Chad Bowden, Marcus Freeman's right-hand man at Notre Dame. The Irish promoted Bowden to their GM role this past season while seeing off advances from Michigan. The Trojans managed to pluck him away with a reported seven-figure salary.
USC made a bold statement hiring Chad Bowden as new GM
How valuable is Bowden? FootballScoop named him their Player Personnel Director of the Year for 2024. His reputation is impeccable, credited with high-level recruiting ability, out-of-the-box thinking and feel for evaluations.
Take it from Jack Soble of On3's BlueAndGold.com: "If Marcus Freeman made a list of people at Notre Dame he could least afford to lose, Chad Bowden might be No. 1."
If Marcus Freeman made a list of people at Notre Dame he could least afford to lose, Chad Bowden might be No. 1.
— Jack Soble (@jacksoble56) January 24, 2025
Freeman thinks the world of Bowden’s talents as a recruiter. The $$$ being reported, though, is wild. We’ll see if the Irish can match. https://t.co/BV0zKlNURh
Bowden helped Notre Dame build a roster capable of making it to the CFP championship game despite boasting less than $10 million in NIL funds. USC has significantly more resources than that on the NIL front. They just don't have the wins to show for it. Hiring Bowden is supposed to change that.
USC brought in Riley with a 10-year deal reportedly worth more than $100 million but he hasn't lived up to that deal. If Bowden's salary is truly above $1 million, as reported by John Brice of FootballScoop, then USC has opened up their wallet in hopes of getting things right in Los Angeles. Along with Bowden's addition, USC gave defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn a contract extension to ward off advances from Penn State.
Sometimes, getting slapped in the face is a really good way to wake up. Whatever drowsiness USC walked through the 2024 season with, they seem to have awoken in 2025 with renewed focus.
feed