USC Trojans’ Chad Bowden Reveals National Championship Goals, Recruiting Success

USC hired the 31-year-old general manager away from rival Notre Dame in January just days after the Irish’s remarkable run this past season that ended with them falling short in the national championship to Ohio State. 

Bowden returned to Southern California, where he lived for a brief moment of his life with the intentions of reaching college football’s mountain top with the Trojans.

“The type of love from the USC fan base, the former players, donors, everybody,” Bowden said. “We all want this place to be great. I think every single day that I’m here I understand the opportunity that I have and there is not a moment that I will take this for granted. This is the greatest opportunity of my life, and I won’t waste it for one second."

“I really want to do it for the city. I really want to do it for Southern California and there will not be one day that does by that I won’t give everything I have for this program and to the university," Bowden continued.

Everything starts with recruiting. Even in the transfer portal era, programs want to build their roster primarily through high school recruiting and the Trojans have been off to a fast start in the 2026 cycle. They currently hold 17 commitments, the most in the country and boast the No. 1 ranked recruiting class. 

The Trojans have been relentless on the recruiting trail. A coaching staff that is great at building relationship with recruits has paired excellently with a personnel staff assembled by Bowden that can compete with any program in the country. Recruits have taken notice of the new energy surrounding USC and have blown away by the time they have spent on campus and talking with the coaching staff this calendar year.

“I thinks it’s alignment, all of us working together for a common goal,” Bowden said. “I think there’s a true vision to how we see this roster. I know I have a true vision of how I see this roster playing out, not only for this year but the future. 

“And I think you have to forward think things when it comes to roster building. I have a true vision for this team, for this football program, we all do. Obviously coach Riley and I work really well together and have done a really good job to this point already landing some big time commitments and we’re just getting started," Bowden continued.

The Trojans are in year four of the Riley era, but it in many ways it feels like year one of a rebirth within the program. While national championships aren’t built overnight, a new foundation can be laid in 2025 that has USC headed in the right direction. 

That all begins in the spring, where the Trojans are about to begin their second week of practice. They have 12 practices remaining over the next month. 

“There is some serious young talent in this football program and there’s also some really great players that have been here. It’s been really fun to go out there and watch guys like Ja’Kobi Lane or a young guy like you see Jahkeem Stewart," said Bowden. "I mean there’s some serious talent out there that I’m excited to continue to watch through spring.”

It's only been three practices, but Bowden has been impressed from by he's seen from USC through the first week.

The talent here is unbelievable and there’s some really great players here and that’s why I say I think we’re really close,” Bowden said.