USC coach Lincoln Riley, GM Chad Bowden tout ‘bright’ future with strong staff additions
With Bowden staying at Riley’s house in the two weeks since arriving from Notre Dame, they have bonded quickly and believe they have assembled a coaching staff and a front office as strong as any in the country
Lincoln Riley, shown celebrating during USC’s big comeback (USC trailed 24-7 after A&M scored 17 straight points to start the second half) in their Las Vegas Bowl victory over the Aggies in December, believes the Trojans have finally assembled a coaching staff and a front office as strong as any program in the country. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
Luca Evans (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — Perhaps Lincoln Riley’s brisket, back on that one Easter in 2021, was in fact overcooked. Three years later, the world still doubts his ability to man a grill, since the then-Oklahoma head coach posted an innocent picture on Twitter that’s been maligned ever since.
The world, however, has not seen Riley’s ability to sizzle a Balsamic steak. Chad Bowden has.
“Our relationship’s been great,” Bowden said, USC’s new general manager speaking to reporters for the first time on Wednesday. “Again – anytime you have Balsamic steaks that are phenomenal, you know what I mean … you have a pretty good relationship.”
When Bowden left Indiana for Los Angeles, after his hire away from Notre Dame two weeks ago, he did not find a hotel. He did not find an Airbnb. He has been staying in Riley’s guesthouse – his casita, as Bowden put it – at the USC head coach’s home in Palos Verdes Estates. For a week and a half, the two most important men in USC’s future have bonded over family, and shared visions of grandeur to come. And shared steak.
“A lot of things that he talked about with me as to why he chose to come with USC, they aligned with how I felt,” Bowden said. “And all we want to do is win this thing. We want to win that moment, and we know what moment that is. And we talked about how we’re going to do it.”
That moment, simply, is a national championship. It was a dreamRiley pointed to, three years ago, standing atop the Coliseum in his introduction to USC. It’s a dream that’s been clouded, for three years, by steadily declining on-paper results. It’s a dream, now, that looks more real for USC than at any point since the fall of 2023.
For years, USC needed to rebuild its defense; Riley and company overhauled their staff, and re-signed DC whiz D’Anton Lynn to a contract extension, and somehow plucked Rob Ryan from the NFL ranks as USC’s linebackers coach.
USC has plainly needed to regain momentum in local recruiting; Riley hired Chad Savage on the offensive staff, an ace Southern California recruiter at Colorado State. USC has known, too, it needed to restructure its front office; in came Bowden and a slew of personnel hires this offseason, part of a modernized front-office approach.
“I think it shows that we’re not content with any part of this program being average, or even being good,” Riley said Wednesday. “Like, that’s not our mentality. Like, any part of this program we’re evaluating on – is it at a national championship level? If it’s not, is it trending that way quickly?”
“And if it’s not, we need to fix it.”
His praise of his newest GM on Wednesday, in what Riley deemed a “partnership,” showed a notable willingness to delegate in the process of fixing it. He and Athletic Director Jen Cohen hired Bowden away from a College Football Playoff finalist in Notre Dame, Bowden telling reporters that USC simply “meant more to me.” And Bowden pitched him during their initial conversation, Riley reflected, on simplifying his role – handling the day-to-day intricacies of roster construction and recruiting, allowing USC’s head coach and staff to focus simply on coaching.
And Bowden steps in at USC at a pivotal moment for college football, with the dawn of athletic department revenue sharing and the sport’s increasing shift to a professional model. On Wednesday, Riley said the USC administration had set some “very aggressive goals” in NIL fundraising, and Cohen has said that the university will invest the full permissible $20.5 million in revenue sharing with athletes come 2025-26, while maximizing investment in football.
When asked Wednesday if he felt he would have the resources he wants to build a roster at USC, Bowden leaned into a microphone with a slight grin.
“Yes,” he answered, matter-of-fact.
Those specific resources are still somewhat up in the air, as the Department of Education might rule that revenue-sharing payments must be divided equally between male and female athletes under Title IX. If President Donald Trump’s administration is successful in slashing the Department of Education, though, USC will likely be free to distribute that $20.5 million as it sees fit – as ESPN reported many schools are preparing to follow a model that would dole out around 75% of revenue sharing payments to football players.
Regardless of their roster cap specifics, Bowden and Riley were aligned in their messaging on Wednesday: USC had built a staff and a front office as strong as any program in the country, both asserted.
“We got really good frickin’ players … the future for USC is so incredibly bright,” Bowden said.
“We’re going to make sure,” he continued, “this place reaches its full potential.”
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Well 100% you’re not getting USC football back on track with Rob Ryan as LB coach 😂😂😂 seriously pathetic hire! First of all you need a
developmental offensive line coach more than a LB coach and 2 ya could’ve done way better than Rob Ryan as a LB coach. This one of the main reasons we fail is because of the research that goes into hiring quality personnel.
The irony that Riley’s own former qb quoted that “defense wins championships”. That game was a perfect example that you’ll never win the big games without an effective defense and a balanced offense. The Eagles were dedicated to the run, kept trying all the way to the end, and guess what, it kept the Chiefs in the box opening up everything else. You cant run a couple of times, get stuffed, then abandon it for the balance of the game.
Patrick Mahomes must have thought he suddenly became Miller Moss for a game. That’s what happens when your O-line is way overmatched. The Eagles barely even seemed to need Saquon Barkley, though his nice catch near the end zone was a big deal, and he used up all of the Chiefs’ brain space all game long. So much for what some of us thought was necessary for a Philly win, 150-plus yds rushing from Barkley. Total Philly dominance. 34-zip at one point. Don’t you love football! Mahomes, the so-called best player in the game, cracked like an egg on a… Read more »
Three USC Trojans have won the Super Bowl MVP award: Lynn Swann: Steelers, 1976 Marcus Allen: Raiders, 1984 Malcolm Smith: Seahawks, 2014 Other schools with three: ALA (Bart Starr twice, Joe Namath), GA (Jake Scott, Terrell Davis, Hines Ward) and ND (Joe Montana three times). So, USC and GA lead the world with three different players who have won the SB MVP. MICH leads everyone by a mile with six MVP awards, five won by GOAT Tom Brady and one by Desmond Howard. Can’t wait to see how Brady does in the booth today. He’s been heavily criticized by some for his performances… Read more »
Everybody seems to hate a dynasty except when it’s your team. The NFL tries hard to neuter dynasties as well with the draft and schedule. Go Chiefs! KC has 4 Trojans, none on Philly.
But at the same time, I think the NFL loves dynasties. They’re so damn fun to watch while they are still on their run.
I love that the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl today. History will be made, one way or another. Great players, coaches and angles.
The season is finally over. I’m thinking this might just be a really good game. You can easily argue any outcome you desire. Go Eagles! Beating Mahomes and Reid is such a tall order. Saquon Barkley needs a 150-plus yardage day.
I am rooting for the Eagles for a different reason; I cannot stand the amount of TV time that Taylor Swift gets during an NFL broadcast of every Chiefs game.
I think she drew the boos because there were many more loudspeaker-volumed Eagles fans at the game and KC was quickly reduced to rubble.
update edit — Lack of her crowd in the SB, the teenagers, didn’t help. Plus celebrity involvement (some would call infiltration) into sports seems misplaced nowadays.
But after seeing other reports of the boo-fest directed at Taylor (which I actually missed entirely), I agree more with the tone of your post.
Taylor suddenly took it on the chin when glaringly juxtaposed next to Trump, whereas her prior game appearances generated nothing remotely similar.
Maybe she drew boos because outside of her small group of 13 year old girls who worship her, the general public doesn’t like her. Americans are starting to turn against all these morally reprobate rock stars and movie stars.
Kennedy Smith powers No. 7 USC women past OHIO ST Luca Evans (OC Register) — Kennedy Smith (below) finishes with a team-leading 13 rebounds, five assists and three timely 3-pointers on a night when struggling JuJu Watkins goes 5-for-21 in the Trojans’ 84-63 win over the Buckeyes She took just six shots, on Saturday night. And yet she dominated an 84-63 USC win, from tip to buzzer, against the eighth-ranked team in the nation. Smith hit all three of her threes, and grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out five assists – and was the head of the snake of a… Read more »
Ohio St did a good job of shutting down Watkins for most of the game. Too bad for them USC has 6 other players that can put up points! Physical game with 43 personal fouls.
We play undefeated (22-0) and impressive UCLA on Thursday and I have my doubts. At least we get them at Galen (7 pm, Peacock/710 AM), and the Bruins haven’t had a real close game all year. That might help us.
USC ruined UCLA last year in the conference tourney, 80-70 in two OTs.
I think UCLA is still pretty burned up about that loss and has made it their mission to get back at the Trojans this year. I’m not usually a big proponent of revenge-factor wins, but the Lady Bruins have me worried this year.
Wow, you just gave me a flashback to 1992-93. ’92, sitting in my Trojan gear with SDSU football alums, watching Larry Smith’s Trojans tie a very mediocre SDSU (which was a win for the Aztecs). Then ’93, the Bruins had JJ Stokes and Aztecs had Marshall Faulk. At 6-4 Stokes, tallest guy on the field, just went up and out jumped everyone for the ball. Faulk, the fastest guy on the field. SDSU at about mid field, he rolled out to the left for a pass. He got nearly to the LOS/Left sideline when the QB was blindsided and fumbled.… Read more »
i so impressed with Jen Cohen and her AD leadership. I couldn’t imagine having to work around or through Riley’s weak spots or his lack of interest to get this program on course. She’s built a strong foundation from the ground up that will hopefully pay dividends, if not this season, then next. I can’t shake the concern that Riley 1. Won’t fully cooperate when the GM identifies recruiting opportunities in which Riley must attend / lead ( like putting his gps to Mater Dei) and we have a closed door pissing contest 2. Because there hasn’t been a significant… Read more »
The lack of a really good football GM for way too long hurt USC immensely. USC just basically didn’t know what it was doing as a recruiter. We were poorly structured and understaffed in that department by Lincoln Riley, which is one of the reasons USC gained a rep for either ignoring or improperly recruiting much of the California local talent, leading to a massive poaching of players, among other mistakes. The Trojans went all in on Courtney Morgan, but he decided to stay at ALA for $825,000 per year and a three-year extension last August even though USC outbid… Read more »
I hate to think of it but maybe the cat might still be here if he had a Bowden running the player personnel part. But Riley was overwhelmed with all that needed be done in rebuilding. Yes there might have been a few HC’s able to handle this chore today. But not many and certainly not in the shape USC football was in.
If LR now has more time to concentrate on offense and playcalling/play management, we should see a different Trojan team this coming season?
I’m hearing about all the glorious things that these recruits said about over the weekend about SC. Actually, talk is cheap with these kids nowadays. They will say that your schools is the greatest thing since apple pie and then a week later sign with another school. I’ll believe them when I see them start committing.
The Chad Bowden Approach (Benjamin Royer/LAT) Bowden — “We’re going to major in high school and we’re going to minor in the [transfer] portal. “We’re going to be aggressive, and we’re going to attack. Our businesses change every single day. Something will change and we’re going to be on offense every single day. We’re going to attack it. We’re going to attack it through high school. We’re going to attack it through the state of California.” Bowden, known for his unorthodox recruiting methods at Notre Dame, joked that Lincoln Riley could be “jumping out of a helicopter,” or newly hired… Read more »
New Asst HC for Defense/LBs Rob Ryan on two in his linebacker room Eric Gentry — “He’s a tall guy and he’s done everything this school has asked of him. He’s built his body up. He does the unnatural, natural. This kid makes more plays, my God. This guy’s going to be fun to work with. I do great with those guys with those long arms. He’s going to hit people before they hit him. He reminds me of Honey Badger (Tyrann Mathieu), stick him anywhere and he’s going to make a play.” Desman Stephens – “I’m really excited… Read more »
USC football expected to hire AJ Howard as assistant linebackers coach Howard spent the 2024 season as Appalachian State’s OLB coach. Connor Morrissette (USCFootball.com) — Two days after USC defensive graduate assistant Bryson Allen-Williams left the Trojans to take a job at Georgia, USC is in the process of hiring his replacement. AJ Howard is expected to become USC’s next assistant linebackers coach, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Howard played at Appalachian State as a safety, and he coached at his alma mater as an OLB coach for the last two seasons. Once his NFL career ended, Howard worked as a grad asst at Louisville and with the New England… Read more »
If we don’t see players improve with this coaching staff currently, it won’t be due to the coaches. It just keeps getting better every week hearing another addition is coming. It will be interesting to see how well these defensive coaches mesh with eachother and how DC Lynn brings it all together.
It’s been like there’s a new positive big news hit for USC football every day or two. What a streak. Serve the Kool-Aid.
How much more good can happen? Now all USC needs is chemistry, a winning culture, and a more balanced offensive attack. Oh, no injuries to Gentry would be great too.
The top 25 2025 recruits, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings: 1 QB Keelon Russell (ALA) 2 QB Bryce Underwood (MICH) 3 DL Elijah Griffin (GA) 4 QB Tavien St. Clair (OHIO ST) 5 CB Devin Sanchez (OHIO ST) 6 S Jonah Williams (TEXAS) 7 WR Dakorien Moore (ORE) 8 OT Michael Fasusi (OU) 9 OT David Sanders Jr. (TENN) 10 EDGE Isaiah Gibson (GA) 11 CB DJ Pickett (LSU) 12 CB Na’eem Offord (ORE) 13 DL Justus Terry (TEXAS) 14 CB Dijon Lee (ALA) 15 WR Kaliq Lockett (TEXAS) 16 RB Harlem Berry (LSU) 17 OT Andrew Babalola (MICH) 18 IOL Michael… Read more »
College Football Odds: Betting Lines for 2025 Big Ten Champions Dan Morrison (GOATS) — The Big Ten is going into its second season as an 18-team conference in 2025. That comes after an incredibly successful first season on the field in this format, which saw the Oregon Ducks win the Big Ten, four teams make the College Football Playoff, and the Ohio State Buckeyes win the national championship. It was a conference filled with parity in 2024 and that’s expected to continue in 2025 as well. Still, in odds released by FanDuel for the Big Ten Championship Game odds, a handful of teams… Read more »
Well now that The Brat can focus on simply coaching he can work on his game planning, play calling and clock management. Oh and will he now think clearly enough to run the ball to preserve a lead and run out the clock? No excuses now LR!
Lincoln Riley was clearly just overwhelmed the last two years as the USC HC.
College football fans have long known he didn’t know anything about defense. But in the last couple of years, he also started to show big cracks in his game plans (remember Hero Ball?), play calling, recruiting, and overall program management, among a few other things.
The welcome emergence of Jen Cohen as a fully powerful Trojan AD who is ready and willing to fill in obvious Trojan football program gaps and cracks with new and important, better-qualified staff has been a wonderful thing to see.
I just want to say Allen, if you play not to lose then you are not pushing the end of the envelope this support team & coaching staff are capable doing. If one part of the team finds itself having to win the game continuously then is this program going to move forward? Who besides the brat believes the air raid offense will win the Big Ten and a Nattie?
USC football has been kicked around for far too long, and the ongoing self-inflicted wounds are hopefully and finally ending as well.
This entirely new recruiting and roster construction element of USC football is a fantastic addition. And it’s finally come not a moment too soon.
Hopefully, a rising and very important foundational element lifts all parts of the team. Our new GM doesn’t sound like the type who is just playing not to lose.
You keep saying that, yet I keep wondering, how good is the O line going to be to run the ball enough to keep you happy? Running backs have to have holes, I hope the line can open them up. Execution!
When LR had a balance offense the team was in the game. When he went pass happy they lost it. To execute you have to be unpredictable, passing 70% of the time is predicable. I doubt any team, college or NFL has won a championship with a pass heavy offense.
When has USC had a strong run game behind a really good O line. It has been a while, and it looks like it will be a while longer. Got to have the players first. Get the good players, then execute, then win. Riley never hesitated to run when he had a good O line.
So I guess 20th in the nation and better than the NC Ohio St is not strong enough for you. Poor LR if only he had the talent to properly execute his brilliant game plans.
20th. Very good. I am talking about the lines we had when PC was coach. The run game for USC this last season was the counter play, run to both sides. It worked really well, and LR ran the crap out of it. But please don’t run over guard from the three and expect to score, it didn’t happen. We will have a better run game soon I think. ✌️😁
With our new GM and his staff, USC’s overall recruiting should really pick up.
I expect more offensive linemen will be convinced that playing for Lincoln Riley, a coach with a big-time passing/QB rep, isn’t so bad after all. O-linemen love to run block and control the LOS that way.
The MINN coach, P.J. Fleck, knew Riley’s first default was always to the passing game. He beat Riley 24-17 with an 8-5 team that lost to mediocre-to-poor outfits like RUT, IOWA and UNC.
His praise of his newest GM on Wednesday, in what 
Well 100% you’re not getting USC football back on track with Rob Ryan as LB coach 😂😂😂 seriously pathetic hire! First of all you need a
developmental offensive line coach more than a LB coach and 2 ya could’ve done way better than Rob Ryan as a LB coach. This one of the main reasons we fail is because of the research that goes into hiring quality personnel.
Whoever said defenses don’t win championships? They seem to.
The irony that Riley’s own former qb quoted that “defense wins championships”. That game was a perfect example that you’ll never win the big games without an effective defense and a balanced offense. The Eagles were dedicated to the run, kept trying all the way to the end, and guess what, it kept the Chiefs in the box opening up everything else. You cant run a couple of times, get stuffed, then abandon it for the balance of the game.
Patrick Mahomes must have thought he suddenly became Miller Moss for a game. That’s what happens when your O-line is way overmatched. The Eagles barely even seemed to need Saquon Barkley, though his nice catch near the end zone was a big deal, and he used up all of the Chiefs’ brain space all game long. So much for what some of us thought was necessary for a Philly win, 150-plus yds rushing from Barkley. Total Philly dominance. 34-zip at one point. Don’t you love football! Mahomes, the so-called best player in the game, cracked like an egg on a… Read more »
Yep, yesterday was just another example of what wins championships.
They can’t beat ya if they can’t score on ya.
And just from than vantage point of pure entertainment, I love watching shut down defenses at work.
How about rookie, Cooper DeJean, got a pick 6, in the Super Bowl (and the win), on his Birthday! How do you top that?
That was some bad pass, wasn’t it?
Even the great ones have to deal with brutal failure on the biggest stages. But I sure didn’t think it would be Mahomes yesterday. He got rattled.
Offense sells tickets. Defense wins games. A gross generalization that has an undercurrent of truth.
Undercurrent? More like raging rapids. 😄
Three USC Trojans have won the Super Bowl MVP award: Lynn Swann: Steelers, 1976 Marcus Allen: Raiders, 1984 Malcolm Smith: Seahawks, 2014 Other schools with three: ALA (Bart Starr twice, Joe Namath), GA (Jake Scott, Terrell Davis, Hines Ward) and ND (Joe Montana three times). So, USC and GA lead the world with three different players who have won the SB MVP. MICH leads everyone by a mile with six MVP awards, five won by GOAT Tom Brady and one by Desmond Howard. Can’t wait to see how Brady does in the booth today. He’s been heavily criticized by some for his performances… Read more »
Super Sunday!! Gotta go with Mahomes, that 3 star our of Texas and that HC Andy Reid.
Everybody seems to hate a dynasty except when it’s your team. The NFL tries hard to neuter dynasties as well with the draft and schedule. Go Chiefs! KC has 4 Trojans, none on Philly.
But at the same time, I think the NFL loves dynasties. They’re so damn fun to watch while they are still on their run.
I love that the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl today. History will be made, one way or another. Great players, coaches and angles.
The season is finally over. I’m thinking this might just be a really good game. You can easily argue any outcome you desire. Go Eagles! Beating Mahomes and Reid is such a tall order. Saquon Barkley needs a 150-plus yardage day.
the truth is that people either love or hate dynasties. There are very few middle of the roaders.
I am rooting for the Eagles for a different reason; I cannot stand the amount of TV time that Taylor Swift gets during an NFL broadcast of every Chiefs game.
Haven’t you heard…..she’s america’s sweetrheart…….that’s why everyone booed her.
I think she drew the boos because there were many more loudspeaker-volumed Eagles fans at the game and KC was quickly reduced to rubble.
update edit — Lack of her crowd in the SB, the teenagers, didn’t help. Plus celebrity involvement (some would call infiltration) into sports seems misplaced nowadays.
But after seeing other reports of the boo-fest directed at Taylor (which I actually missed entirely), I agree more with the tone of your post.
Taylor suddenly took it on the chin when glaringly juxtaposed next to Trump, whereas her prior game appearances generated nothing remotely similar.
Maybe she drew boos because outside of her small group of 13 year old girls who worship her, the general public doesn’t like her. Americans are starting to turn against all these morally reprobate rock stars and movie stars.
As much as I hate Tay-tay, I can’t root for the Elgles. Their fans famously booed Santa Claus a few years ago.
Kennedy Smith powers No. 7 USC women past OHIO ST Luca Evans (OC Register) — Kennedy Smith (below) finishes with a team-leading 13 rebounds, five assists and three timely 3-pointers on a night when struggling JuJu Watkins goes 5-for-21 in the Trojans’ 84-63 win over the Buckeyes She took just six shots, on Saturday night. And yet she dominated an 84-63 USC win, from tip to buzzer, against the eighth-ranked team in the nation. Smith hit all three of her threes, and grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out five assists – and was the head of the snake of a… Read more »
Ohio St did a good job of shutting down Watkins for most of the game. Too bad for them USC has 6 other players that can put up points! Physical game with 43 personal fouls.
We play undefeated (22-0) and impressive UCLA on Thursday and I have my doubts. At least we get them at Galen (7 pm, Peacock/710 AM), and the Bruins haven’t had a real close game all year. That might help us.
UCLA had a tougher time with the Buckeyes than USC so we got that as well. Really on Peacock?!
USC ruined UCLA last year in the conference tourney, 80-70 in two OTs.
I think UCLA is still pretty burned up about that loss and has made it their mission to get back at the Trojans this year. I’m not usually a big proponent of revenge-factor wins, but the Lady Bruins have me worried this year.
Yes….rally on Peacock!!! The truth is that womens basketball is not nearly as popular as some people try to make it.
Just found out Dish is doing the superbowl in 4k channel 146 or 540.
Thanks, I’ll look for it. 😎
Colorado hires Marshall Faulk: Pro Football Hall of Famer joining Deion Sanders’ staff as running backs coach
Faulk’s addition gives Colorado’s staff three Pro Football Hall of Fame members
cbssports.com
Wow, you just gave me a flashback to 1992-93. ’92, sitting in my Trojan gear with SDSU football alums, watching Larry Smith’s Trojans tie a very mediocre SDSU (which was a win for the Aztecs). Then ’93, the Bruins had JJ Stokes and Aztecs had Marshall Faulk. At 6-4 Stokes, tallest guy on the field, just went up and out jumped everyone for the ball. Faulk, the fastest guy on the field. SDSU at about mid field, he rolled out to the left for a pass. He got nearly to the LOS/Left sideline when the QB was blindsided and fumbled.… Read more »
i so impressed with Jen Cohen and her AD leadership. I couldn’t imagine having to work around or through Riley’s weak spots or his lack of interest to get this program on course. She’s built a strong foundation from the ground up that will hopefully pay dividends, if not this season, then next. I can’t shake the concern that Riley 1. Won’t fully cooperate when the GM identifies recruiting opportunities in which Riley must attend / lead ( like putting his gps to Mater Dei) and we have a closed door pissing contest 2. Because there hasn’t been a significant… Read more »
The lack of a really good football GM for way too long hurt USC immensely. USC just basically didn’t know what it was doing as a recruiter. We were poorly structured and understaffed in that department by Lincoln Riley, which is one of the reasons USC gained a rep for either ignoring or improperly recruiting much of the California local talent, leading to a massive poaching of players, among other mistakes. The Trojans went all in on Courtney Morgan, but he decided to stay at ALA for $825,000 per year and a three-year extension last August even though USC outbid… Read more »
I hate to think of it but maybe the cat might still be here if he had a Bowden running the player personnel part. But Riley was overwhelmed with all that needed be done in rebuilding. Yes there might have been a few HC’s able to handle this chore today. But not many and certainly not in the shape USC football was in.
If LR now has more time to concentrate on offense and playcalling/play management, we should see a different Trojan team this coming season?
I’m hearing about all the glorious things that these recruits said about over the weekend about SC. Actually, talk is cheap with these kids nowadays. They will say that your schools is the greatest thing since apple pie and then a week later sign with another school. I’ll believe them when I see them start committing.
The Chad Bowden Approach (Benjamin Royer/LAT) Bowden — “We’re going to major in high school and we’re going to minor in the [transfer] portal. “We’re going to be aggressive, and we’re going to attack. Our businesses change every single day. Something will change and we’re going to be on offense every single day. We’re going to attack it. We’re going to attack it through high school. We’re going to attack it through the state of California.” Bowden, known for his unorthodox recruiting methods at Notre Dame, joked that Lincoln Riley could be “jumping out of a helicopter,” or newly hired… Read more »
New Asst HC for Defense/LBs Rob Ryan on two in his linebacker room Eric Gentry — “He’s a tall guy and he’s done everything this school has asked of him. He’s built his body up. He does the unnatural, natural. This kid makes more plays, my God. This guy’s going to be fun to work with. I do great with those guys with those long arms. He’s going to hit people before they hit him. He reminds me of Honey Badger (Tyrann Mathieu), stick him anywhere and he’s going to make a play.” Desman Stephens – “I’m really excited… Read more »
USC football expected to hire AJ Howard as assistant linebackers coach Howard spent the 2024 season as Appalachian State’s OLB coach. Connor Morrissette (USCFootball.com) — Two days after USC defensive graduate assistant Bryson Allen-Williams left the Trojans to take a job at Georgia, USC is in the process of hiring his replacement. AJ Howard is expected to become USC’s next assistant linebackers coach, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Howard played at Appalachian State as a safety, and he coached at his alma mater as an OLB coach for the last two seasons. Once his NFL career ended, Howard worked as a grad asst at Louisville and with the New England… Read more »
If we don’t see players improve with this coaching staff currently, it won’t be due to the coaches. It just keeps getting better every week hearing another addition is coming. It will be interesting to see how well these defensive coaches mesh with eachother and how DC Lynn brings it all together.
It’s been like there’s a new positive big news hit for USC football every day or two. What a streak. Serve the Kool-Aid.
How much more good can happen? Now all USC needs is chemistry, a winning culture, and a more balanced offensive attack. Oh, no injuries to Gentry would be great too.
Georgia Southern extended Clay Heltons contract and gave him a raise. 🙄🙄
It should be a fun Super Bowl. I’m rooting for Philly, as in “spread the wealth” a little. Whoever wins, it’ll be a cool storyline.
KC has gone 12-0 in games decided by one score this year. That’s Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes for you. Both are immune to pressure.
There’s NFL talk all over the place of course. Well-traveled Sam Darnold looks like he’ll get a “Baker Mayfield-type” contract elsewhere.
I wonder where he’s looking forward to going? Colin Cowherd thinks Pete Carroll may make a run at him for the Raiders.
The top 25 2025 recruits, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings: 1 QB Keelon Russell (ALA) 2 QB Bryce Underwood (MICH) 3 DL Elijah Griffin (GA) 4 QB Tavien St. Clair (OHIO ST) 5 CB Devin Sanchez (OHIO ST) 6 S Jonah Williams (TEXAS) 7 WR Dakorien Moore (ORE) 8 OT Michael Fasusi (OU) 9 OT David Sanders Jr. (TENN) 10 EDGE Isaiah Gibson (GA) 11 CB DJ Pickett (LSU) 12 CB Na’eem Offord (ORE) 13 DL Justus Terry (TEXAS) 14 CB Dijon Lee (ALA) 15 WR Kaliq Lockett (TEXAS) 16 RB Harlem Berry (LSU) 17 OT Andrew Babalola (MICH) 18 IOL Michael… Read more »
College Football Odds: Betting Lines for 2025 Big Ten Champions Dan Morrison (GOATS) — The Big Ten is going into its second season as an 18-team conference in 2025. That comes after an incredibly successful first season on the field in this format, which saw the Oregon Ducks win the Big Ten, four teams make the College Football Playoff, and the Ohio State Buckeyes win the national championship. It was a conference filled with parity in 2024 and that’s expected to continue in 2025 as well. Still, in odds released by FanDuel for the Big Ten Championship Game odds, a handful of teams… Read more »
Well now that The Brat can focus on simply coaching he can work on his game planning, play calling and clock management. Oh and will he now think clearly enough to run the ball to preserve a lead and run out the clock? No excuses now LR!
Lincoln Riley was clearly just overwhelmed the last two years as the USC HC.
College football fans have long known he didn’t know anything about defense. But in the last couple of years, he also started to show big cracks in his game plans (remember Hero Ball?), play calling, recruiting, and overall program management, among a few other things.
The welcome emergence of Jen Cohen as a fully powerful Trojan AD who is ready and willing to fill in obvious Trojan football program gaps and cracks with new and important, better-qualified staff has been a wonderful thing to see.
I just want to say Allen, if you play not to lose then you are not pushing the end of the envelope this support team & coaching staff are capable doing. If one part of the team finds itself having to win the game continuously then is this program going to move forward? Who besides the brat believes the air raid offense will win the Big Ten and a Nattie?
USC football has been kicked around for far too long, and the ongoing self-inflicted wounds are hopefully and finally ending as well.
This entirely new recruiting and roster construction element of USC football is a fantastic addition. And it’s finally come not a moment too soon.
Hopefully, a rising and very important foundational element lifts all parts of the team. Our new GM doesn’t sound like the type who is just playing not to lose.
New USC GM Chad Bowden (Erik McKinney/WeAreSC)
I agree.
Me too.
You keep saying that, yet I keep wondering, how good is the O line going to be to run the ball enough to keep you happy? Running backs have to have holes, I hope the line can open them up. Execution!
Last season USC averaged 5.16 yds/run, that’s 20th in the nation, better than Ohio St! Equal runs to passes would be nice
As long as they can execute I don’t care what they do. Just do it right.
When LR had a balance offense the team was in the game. When he went pass happy they lost it. To execute you have to be unpredictable, passing 70% of the time is predicable. I doubt any team, college or NFL has won a championship with a pass heavy offense.
When has USC had a strong run game behind a really good O line. It has been a while, and it looks like it will be a while longer. Got to have the players first. Get the good players, then execute, then win. Riley never hesitated to run when he had a good O line.
So I guess 20th in the nation and better than the NC Ohio St is not strong enough for you. Poor LR if only he had the talent to properly execute his brilliant game plans.
20th. Very good. I am talking about the lines we had when PC was coach. The run game for USC this last season was the counter play, run to both sides. It worked really well, and LR ran the crap out of it. But please don’t run over guard from the three and expect to score, it didn’t happen. We will have a better run game soon I think. ✌️😁
With our new GM and his staff, USC’s overall recruiting should really pick up.
I expect more offensive linemen will be convinced that playing for Lincoln Riley, a coach with a big-time passing/QB rep, isn’t so bad after all. O-linemen love to run block and control the LOS that way.
The MINN coach, P.J. Fleck, knew Riley’s first default was always to the passing game. He beat Riley 24-17 with an 8-5 team that lost to mediocre-to-poor outfits like RUT, IOWA and UNC.