It’s no secret that the USC athletic department and football program were completely unprepared for the start of the NIL era. As elite SEC and Big Ten programs like Georgia and Ohio State jumped into action to prepare, USC was caught flat-footed. 

Their outside collective was a mess, the NIL budget was virtually nonexistent, and as a result, recruiting suffered in the first two seasons under head coach Lincoln Riley. But slowly, piece by piece, the Trojans have been rebuilding its coaching staff, facilities, budget, and administration to try to return to relevance on the national college football stage. 

That process took another huge step forward on Friday afternoon, when USC matched many of its key competitors by adding a general manager to oversee the football program. And it poached arguably one of the best in the business from one of its top rivals. 

Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans have hired a new general manager for the football program as they look to compete in the Big Ten. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Lincoln Riley Has No More Excuses At USC

Tom Loy from 24/7 Sports confirmed Friday afternoon that USC had hired Chad Bowden, formerly of Notre Dame, as its new general manager. 

Bowden was instrumental in helping Marcus Freeman build a program that could reach the College Football Playoff Championship Game, and with roster-building a full-time job and obvious necessity in the modern game, USC is hoping he’ll do the same in Los Angeles.

Hiring a well-established, successful personnel figure would be an immensely valuable addition regardless where he came from. But to poach someone from Notre Dame in particular can only be seen as a big win for the SC program. And it also removes the last of the excuses for Lincoln Riley’s under-performance. 

Riley’s gone 13-11 in the last two regular seasons in LA; that wouldn’t be acceptable at most mid-major programs, let alone one with the history and pedigree of USC. There were excuses, or explanations, before 2024: lack of NIL budget leading to poor recruiting, a difficult schedule, administration issues, or a mediocre staff of assistants.

One by one, new athletic director Jennifer Cohen has addressed most of them.

SC retained defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who drew interest from other schools after the Trojans put out a much-improved defense in his first year on the job. They hired former NFL assistant coach Rob Ryan as linebackers coach. The NIL budget has been beefed up to reportedly the $15-16 million range, not quite Ohio State or Oregon levels, but enough to be competitive. 

And now a new, top-flight general manager to oversee it all.

The pressure will be on Riley to improve dramatically in 2025. SC has tough road matchups against Notre Dame and Oregon, but will likely be favored in their other 10 games. 6-6 or 7-5 won’t cut it. And with the people now in place around him, it shouldn’t.