Former Notre Dame GM Chad Bowden breaks down his reasons for bolting to archrival USC

SOUTH BEND — Chad Bowden, newly installed as USC’s football general manager, shed light Wednesday on his decision to leave Notre Dame after four seasons and a runner-up finish in the recent College Football Playoff.

“Notre Dame did everything they could to keep me there,” Bowden said at the Trojans’ National Signing Day news conference in Los Angeles. “USC, for me, it meant more to me. When I was a kid, I watched Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush — that was my team. … USC kind of held something in my heart.”

Bowden, 31, was able to say no to Michigan when it tried to hire him last offseason after winning a national title.

This time around, the Trojans closed the deal with a reported seven-figure annual salary, a multiyear deal and an open checkbook that has allowed Bowden to raid the recruiting offices at Notre Dame (player personnel director Zaire Turner), Illinois (Dre Brown, his former Irish assistant) and Wisconsin (Max Steinecker).

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After thanking Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and athletic director Pete Bevacqua in his opening statement, Bowden made it clear he saw “incredibly bright” days ahead for a Trojans program that has gone 9-11 under coach Lincoln Riley since winning its first six games in 2023.

“I thought coming here I could have the type of success I want to have, and I could be able to sustain it,” Bowden said. “That’s a big reason why I chose USC.”

This is the first time Bowden has worked for a college football program without Freeman on staff. Their association dates to 2017 at Cincinnati, when Freeman was a defensive coordinator and Bowden a student intern in the Bearcats’ recruiting office.

When Freeman left for Notre Dame in early 2021, he brought Bowden to South Bend as a…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/former-notre-dame-gm-chad-002622590.html

Author : South Bend Tribune

Publish date : 2025-02-06 00:26:00

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