USC Trojans' Flex Deep Pockets During General Manager Search, Chad Bowden Hiring

Courtney Morgan, who currently serves as the Alabama Crimson Tide's general manager, was on the Trojans' radar for a while prior to officially joining the program in Tuscaloosa.

College football analyst John Talty revealed how Alabama had to make history in order to fend off USC's pursuit of Morgan.

“Morgan was on the private plane with Kalen DeBoer when he arrived in Tuscaloosa for the first time. That speaks to the trust and closeness of their relationship. After USC tried to hire him, Morgan made national headlines when he became, at that time, the nation’s highest-paid general manager with a three-year deal that averaged $825,000 a year,” Talty wrote.

Morgan has served successful programs in the last like Washington when they were led by coach Kalen DeBoer, Michigan in 2021 and Fresno State in 2020.

Since Bowden's arrival, he has greatly improved the recruiting sector with USC and helped land some of their top recruits in the 2026 class -- including five-star tight end Mark Bowman from Mater Dei High School.

Aside from the star tight end, Bowden also helped recruit one of Bowman's teammate -- Tomuhini Topui. He has also made efforts to recruit out of the Trojans backyard and picked up defensive lineman Simote Katoanga and wide receiver Trent Mosley of Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic, and cornerback Brandon Lockhart of Sierra Canyon.

In one of Bowden's first press conferences as the official team manager of the Trojans, Bowden emphasized the groundwork moving forward in recruiting in California.

"We're going to major in high school, and we're going to minor in the portal...We're going to be on offense every single day, and we're going to attack it." Bowden said. "We're going to attack it through high school, and we're going to attack it through the state of California. The best high school football in America is played in California. We're going to do everything that we can to get the best players that are in California to stay here and play for USC."

One of Bowden's biggest goals as USC's general manager is to win a championship and be the most elite college football program in the nation -- which starts with recruiting from their own backyard.