Marcus Freeman had a dream run short of just one game last season. They spearheaded top-notch recruitment, brought in well-thought-out transfers (for instance, Riley Leonard), and orchestrated donor engagements that reaped long-term benefits. But while Marcus Freeman has been the head coach of the program, this was all done by none other than long-time Freeman companion Chad Bowden. The GM played a significant role in NIL operations and organized events, such as ‘Men in Black’, to bolster recruitment. But then came the major twist.
It was reported that Chad Bowden will be joining the USC Trojans, one of the Irish’s fiercest rivals. The move was sensational and crazy, and it brought a plethora of accusations against Chad Bowden. Bowden had earned an almost $1 million deal at USC as opposed to the around $300,000 he was earning at the Fighting Irish. The new USC GM tried to explain that the move was because of his lifelong admiration of USC and figures like Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. But the glitter of a 7-figure pay was hard to ignore. But what now?
Just stop and ask a random Irish fan, and you will know that despite Bowden’s heroics in 2024 at Notre Dame, he has been widely declared the “public enemy number 1” of the program. While there may be arguments against that, this seems to be the widely accepted discourse for the Irish fans. But the tag may be for all the right reasons, too, as the new USC GM is doing everything in his might to irk Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame, and its supporters.
Tyler Wojciak, the host of ‘Locked on Irish’, in his 22nd April video, talked about the antics that Bowden might be doing to irk the Irish. “There have been some rumors circulating online that, like Chad Bowden. (They) have inquired about a lot of players on Notre Dame’s active roster behind the scenes to see if they would be interested in going to USC.” Well, the player attrition may be a more serious issue than Marcus Freeman would have imagined.
The USC, with its aggressive recruitment for the 2026 class, has already been trending top in its recruitment. The class is already ranked 2nd nationally and is yet to see many talents coming in, especially the Irish targets. The Trojans landed Simote Katoanga, a 9th-ranked Edge in the country, who was already looking towards committing to Notre Dame. Then there was Trent Mosley, Katoanga’s teammate, and another Irish target being recruited by the Trojans. Then there was the poaching of coaches, too, as Zaire Turner and Dre Brown joined USC. But Bowden’s alleged antics don’t end here.
USC Trojans becoming a headache for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish?
Well, as Tyler Wojciak pointed out, the new USC GM is after the current Irish players, too. He even publicly urged them to join the Trojans. Now, Kennedy Urlacher, who on Wednesday entered the transfer portal, has finally announced his move to join the Trojans and giving fuel to the whole ‘poaching’ controversy.
Urlacher, a former Irish safety, was involved in 8 games last year and totaled 12 tackles overall. While not a major headache in terms of attrition, since the player was mainly a depth prospect. This still begs a major question. Will more players be joining USC from the Fighting Irish now? Tyler Wojciak pointed out a similar thing.
“He got one fish in Kennedy Urlacher, not the biggest one in the world, but ever since Chad Bowden left for USC, it feels like they have tried to be as much of a pest as possible…. When Chad Bowden was at USC, there was this notion that he didn’t really like talking to the press. That wasn’t his thing. But then, ever since he’s gone to USC, that’s like all he’s done. He just did an interview with Josh Pate. He did an interview with someone from Yahoo Sports….it’s kind of like your little sibling who will do anything to get your attention“.
Well, Chad Bowden not only has greater resources in terms of NIL money at USC. But also has a bigger incentive ($1 million) to deliver results. That may be the reason the GM is doing what he is doing. But some of these things may be concerning for the Irish too, as he is currently after Irish recruits like Xavier Griffin, RJ Sermons, and Jonas Williams. Maybe, Marcus Freeman now needs a plan to tackle Bowden’s alleged mischiefs?
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