At long last, USC football has its new general manger. The Trojans are hiring former Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden for the same role, according to multiple sources.

Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman brought Bowden with him from Cincinnati when Freeman was hired as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator in 2021. Bowden was a recruiting staffer with the Bearcats, but he became Freeman’s first hire in South Bend. Bowden was named Notre Dame’s general manager in March after Michigan made a run at hiring him away. He’d been Notre Dame’s director of recruiting prior to being promoted to GM. 

“My wife, Ava, and I couldn’t be more grateful and excited to join the Trojan Family,” Bowden said via USC. “Jen Cohen, Lincoln Riley and USC’s total commitment to excellence make this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is a place with the resources, facilities and support to build a perennial winner, and I’m excited to get to work to help bring more national championships to USC.”

“We are very excited to welcome Chad Bowden to our staff,” said Riley in a statement. “His outstanding body of work in recruiting and roster management is recognized throughout the country. With the support of Jen Cohen and the administration, Chad’s hire is both vital to the future of our program and sends a strong message about the direction of USC Football. We’re excited for him to arrive and hit the ground running.”

“The Trojan Family is thrilled to welcome Chad and his wife Ava to USC,” said Cohen in a statement. “Chad is the perfect fit to help us build and sustain a championship-level football program in the new era of college athletics. His work and expertise will be essential in the construction and management of our roster, the elevation of our robust NIL program and the organization of our entire football operations. Combined with USC’s competitive resources and growing support, adding a general manager of Chad’s caliber and pedigree to our staff is a vital step toward fully realizing this program’s enormous potential, and I am eager to work with him and Coach Riley to add to USC’s unparalleled legacy of Heisman winners, All-Americans and national champions.” 

Bowden was named FootballScoop’s Player Personnel Director of the Year as voted by his peers earlier this month. He leaves Notre Dame following a successful season for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame went 14-2 and lost to Ohio State 34-23 in the national championship.

At USC, Bowden is expected to make approximately $1 million annually, according to multiple sources.

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Bowden, 30, inherits a USC football program looking to tighten up its roster building operation. USC has had some high profile recruiting misses from the high school ranks and in the transfer portal in the last two years. 

USC had been looking to upgrade its personnel staff for over a year. USC athletic director Jen Cohen pursued Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan multiple times, but he chose to stay in Tuscaloosa. Current USC general manager Dave Emerick is expected to stay at USC but work in a different role moving forward. 

Bowden has front office experience in his blood. Bowden’s father, Jim Bowden, was named general manager of the Cincinnati Reds at 31 in 1992, at the time the youngest general manager in the history of Major League Baseball. He also was the general manager for the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals. He resigned from the Nationals in 2009 and has been a television analyst as well as a national writer for The Athletic.