The beaches of southern Cali had transformed into quicksand for the USC Trojans. During the Riley Leonard era, the program has gone from 11 wins down to 8 and now 7. Bake into this descent their realignment to the uber-competitive B1G and the signs didn’t bode well. You’d be hard-pressed to think of a school across the country that should benefit more from the advent of NIL than one based in LA. Coach Riley, and by extension USC, were in dire need of a spark. A proverbial helping had, a messiah even. Somebody who can exploit their pre-existing advantages on the recruitment front and accentuate them with their expertise. They didn’t just find him but actually managed to prize him away from the arch-nemesis. A Trojan horse of sorts, except this one’s bringing through high school prospects rather than soldiers!
In what’s already proving to be a masterstroke, USC onboarded new GM Chad Bowden from Notre Dame. Bowden was a key component of the Irish’s steady rise that culminated in a run to the Natty last season. Bowden is one of the best recruiters in the business, and the proof is in the pudding. Lincoln Riley’s ‘26 class is already ranked Top 3 in the country. How’d USC get Bowden to cross enemy lines, over to the other side of the Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy? Trading South Bend for Los Angeles sure sounds inviting, and so does a 4x pay raise up to $1 million. An outlay that’s already paying dividends for this sleeping giant, now looking in excellent shape to attack the future. However, there’s an elephant in the room. What about the immediate?
While Chad Bowden’s showing he’s got the Midas touch in the recruitment realm 2026 and on, he didn’t have his fingerprints on the class of ‘25. Simply didn’t arrive in time. That said, Lincoln Riley doesn’t quite have the credit in the bank to have another bad season. His future would project very precariously if USC don’t show positive signs next season. This begs the question: how much of Bowden’s focus is on bolstering the current roster relative to the next iteration? Getting his head coach requisite help from the transfer portal and stabilize the present might be in order. Bowden was confronted with that exact question during a Trojans Live interview session held by the program.
“The roster is in a really good place right now. I love the kids that we have,” said Chad Bowden. “We might look a little bit into the portal if we have to, just depending on what attrition looks like for us in the spring.” Attrition basically refers to the cut down on roster strength, which every program will be forced into one the House Settlement kicks in and the maximum players you can have is brought down as part of it. Bowden proceeded to elaborate on his modus operandi.
“A massive focus, though, is obviously the 2026 class. We’re going to sign [the most] high school kids in USC football history in 2026. But if we think there is a move in the spring that helps this football team win games, we’d do it,” proceeded Chad Bowden. A lot of positivity here, but that last bit will please Lincoln Riley the most. He’s been under scrutiny from both the Trojans faithful and the media alike. This displeasure towards USC’s trajectory under Riley within the fanbase made its way to On3’s J.D PicKell, who had a rational take about why things aren’t as black or white as they seem after going from 11 wins to 7.
USC fans are approaching their tipping point with Lincoln Riley despite Chad Bowden’s affirmation
Over the On3 YouTube channel, J.D PicKell bounced off a Trojans fan’s opinion, who called into the show to express their frustration. “I’m a USC fan, and it’s time for [Lincoln Riley] to deliver. Put up or shut up. Because if he doesn’t deliver then, yeah. I think he’s definitely on the hot seat.” Is that hyperbolic? Absolutely not. Riley came in with a lot of promise from Oklahoma, dubbed the next big thing in football coaching. He’s on a $90 million contract. Hovering slightly above .500 is not going to cut it. Something PicKell concurs with, but he seeked to contextualize why the Riley “decline” isn’t as steep as it seems.
“Lincoln Riley now—when you look at what he’s done on paper—it has been a steady decline….the numbers on paper, I don’t believe, indicate the job he’s done at USC…The record’s gotten worse every year; I don’t think USC’s gotten worse every year,” remarked PicKell. He backed his claim by saying how strong the PAC-12 was a couple of years ago when they won 8 games. Washington, for instance, made the National Championship game. 3 other members also finished in the AP’s Top 20.
Alas, Chad Bowden’s own aforementioned comments do imply the current regiment will indeed see out this year and at least have 2026. Which shall definitely be a litmus test of whether Lincoln Riley is the right man to lead the program. To be fair, he’s made a fair few upgrades on the defensive side of the football recently. Which has been their Achilles’ Heel. The offensive whizz that Riley is, a more complementary setup should show up in the win/loss column. There are great things on the horizon for USC football. Lincoln Riley just needs to make sure he can get there intact.
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