Lincoln Riley said today that new general manager Chad Bowden and his hand-picked team will “run the show” with recruiting for USC. This aligns with what I said this morning about Bowden’s power. Bowden then said USC will focus more on high school recruiting than the transfer portal and make recruiting in California a top priority. You can see the changes from what Riley’s preferred … Continue reading The Riley-Bowden Power Structure Takes Shape

The USC football program is undergoing a transformation and it’s more dramatic than being portrayed. Athletic director Jen Cohen, who has kept a low-public profile, is aggressively making moves behind the scenes. Sources said Cohen hired new USC general manager Chad Bowden and gave him a mandate to run things. They said Cohen is privately frustrated with Riley and the huge contract that Mike Bohn … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Jen Cohen Makes Strong Moves With Football

USC general manager Chad Bowden has hired Max Stienecker to be executive director of player personnel. Steinecker was the general manager at Wisconsin and was at Cincinnati, where Bowden also worked. Here’s the news: Bowden has now hired three people and removed one person and Lincoln Riley is basically an outsider on these moves. I’m going to write about something important tomorrow but Bowden’s got … Continue reading USC General Manager Putting Stamp On Program

I wrote the other day about a USC player wanting to wear No. 55. A reader wrote asking if I thought the player deserved it. My response: Not if they average a few tackles a game. You either come in as a five-star, can’t miss prospect or you have a great season at USC. Remember that Chris Claiborne came to USC wearing No. 55 and … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Standards Must Be Upheld