Latest news with #ChadBowden
Los Angeles Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
The Times of Troy: A position-by-position look at the USC football team
Hi, everyone! I'm Ryan Kartje, your USC beat writer at The Times, here with one last dispatch from the Times of Troy newsletter before our summer break. The transfer portal is officially closed. Spring football at USC is officially behind us. The college sports calendar is finally slowing to a crawl. Which means it's the end of the line for this debut season of the Times of Troy. Writing this newsletter has been one of the more enjoyable parts of the job over the last seven months, and I want to thank you sincerely for reading and subscribing to The Times of Troy this season. It's been a difficult year for me personally, navigating being a new dad while dealing with my own dad's passing. So many of you responded with kind words and compassion. It genuinely blew me away. I hope you've enjoyed this first foray into a USC newsletter from The Times. But as we set our sights on Year 2, I want to hear from you, if you have thoughts or suggestions on where to take this space when we return. Feel free to send them my way at Or if you just want to rant about USC not holding a spring game, well … I'm here for that too. Though, as our summer break awaits, the vibes at USC are as good as I can remember in recent memory. The 2026 recruiting class sits atop the national rankings, and momentum is still rising. The Kool-Aid, courtesy of Chad Bowden, runneth over. Of course all that could look different the next time you read the Times of Troy. But for now, before we go, let's dive in deep one last time and take full stock, position by position, of where USC football stands heading into summer. Quarterback Projected starter: Jayden Maiava Reserves: Sam Huard, Husan Longstreet Lincoln Riley didn't mince words when he said Maiava was 'clearly' the No. 1 quarterback. There's no reason to doubt that will be the case in the fall. The bigger question is who will be the backup? My belief is Huard's experience puts him ahead of the five-star freshman at the start of the season. Running back Projected starter(s): Waymond Jordan (1a); Eli Sanders (1b) Reserves: Bryan Jackson; Riley Wormley; King Miller; Harry Dalton III How carries will be divided between them is anyone's guess at this point, but expect Jordan, the junior college transfer, and Sanders, the big-play transfer from New Mexico, to have major roles in USC's backfield. Jackson is the wild card here, given the power that he brings to the role. It's a good problem to have. Riley said earlier in spring that this could be the best backfield of his tenure at USC. Wide receiver Projected starters: Ja'Kobi Lane; Makai Lemon; Prince Strachan Reserves: Xavier Jordan; Jay Fair; Corey Simms; Jaden Richardson; Tanook Hines; Romero Ison At the top, this is potentially one of the best receiver rooms in the country. Beyond that, there's not much in the way of proven depth. Lane and Lemon will be relied upon as much as any wideouts in college football, but don't sleep on Strachan, who, at 6-foot-5, gives USC size on the perimeter. This could be a spot to watch in the portal this spring. But Jordan, a former four-star recruit, is the one to watch in fall camp to see if he can carve out a role as the No. 4 receiver. Tight end Projected starter: Lake McRee Reserves: Walker Lyons; Walter Matthews; Joey Olsen This is a deep well of talent, to the point that I'm surprised all four are staying put. McRee begins the year as the clear No. 1, but Lyons looks poised to have a bigger role than other No. 2 tight ends have at USC in recent years. He's the future at the position. Matthews looked massive this spring and seems to have made progress as a receiver too. Offensive line Projected starters: Elijah Paige (LT); DJ Wingfield (LG); J'Onre Reed (C); Alani Noa (RG); Tobias Raymond (RT) Reserve tackles: Justin Tauanuu; Alex Payne; Aaron Dunn; Elijah Valkona; Hayden Treter Reserve interior: Kilian O'Connor; Micah Banuelos; Kaylon Miller; Willi Wascher The biggest question mark on this roster, in my opinion, is the offensive line. But the five starters don't really seem in doubt. Tauanuu could definitely challenge Raymond for the right tackle spot in the fall. Otherwise, the shuffling is mostly in the lower rungs of the depth chart, where very little is certain. The interior is dangerously thin on experience. I'd expect an injury up front would prompt Raymond to shift to wherever he's needed, with Tauanuu slotting in at right tackle in his stead. The progress of Payne and Dunn will be critical over the course of this season. Defensive line Projected starters: Anthony Lucas (DE); Keeshawn Silver (NT); Jamaal Jarrett (DT); Kameryn Fountain (DE) Reserves: Devan Thompkins (DT); Braylan Shelby (DE) Jahkeem Stewart (DT/DE); Jide Abasiri (DT); Kobe Pepe (NT); Elijah Newby (DE); Floyd Boucard (DT); Cash Jacobsen (DT); Carlon Jones (NT) Suddenly, the defensive line feels like one of the strengths of this roster. Silver is sure to start at nose tackle, but the interior is so deep now that we don't have much idea where things stand after that. Thompkins could very well start over Jarrett at defensive tackle, while Abasiri and Stewart, the freshman phenom, will each get snaps. On the edge, Fountain is primed for a breakout season, while Lucas was still recovering from an injury through spring. Shelby will have plenty of chances too. There's a ton of talent to go around in this room. Linebacker Projected starters: Eric Gentry (MLB); Desman Stephens (WLB) Reserves: Anthony Beavers; Jadyn Walker; Ta'Mere Robinson; Matai Tagoa'i; Garrison Madden; AJ Tuitele Gentry has All-Big Ten potential, and Stephens is a rising star, but beyond those two starters, USC's linebacker room is as unproven as any position on the team. Adding Robinson in the portal helps, but he was a rotational option at Penn State last season. Riley guaranteed that Walker will play a role, but we have little idea what to expect from him at that spot. Expect the top two guys to be on the field a lot, while Beavers offers versatility as a former safety. Cornerback Projected starters: DJ Harvey; DeCarlos Nicholson Reserves: Marcelles Williams; Prophet Brown; Braylon Conley; Alex Graham; James Johnson; Trestin Castro; Isaiah Rubin Riley said recently that cornerback remains the closest position battle on the roster, so there's plenty of competition still to come. Harvey's starting role feels assured, but the No. 2 spot is still up in the air. I give the nod to Nicholson, who has the length and speed to be an NFL-caliber corner. But Williams could very well be the starter in September. There's no nickel listed here because I expect USC to use a lot of three-safety looks, with Kamari Ramsey playing in the slot. But Brown, Graham and Johnson, who turned a lot of heads in spring, are all intriguing options for that spot too. Safety Projected starters: Kamari Ramsey; Bishop Fitzgerald; Christian Pierce Reserves: Kennedy Urlacher; Marquis Gallegos; Steve Miller The top three seem assured of their spots at the moment. Ramsey could be the top safety in college football this season. Fitzgerald has stepped in seamlessly next to him. Pierce has been on an upward trajectory for a while and appears poised to step into a significant role this season. We don't know how Urlacher will fit into that equation, but considering he transferred from Notre Dame, I expect he'll have a role. Specialists Kicker: Caden Chittenden Punter: Sam Johnson Long snapper: Hank Pepper Filling the shoes of 'Punt God' Eddie Czaplicki is no easy task. But in Chittenden, USC may have found an answer at the placekicker position. He was the highest-scoring kicker in the country last season as a freshman at Nevada Las Vegas. —USC didn't have a first- or second-round pick in the NFL draft for just the second time since 2002. Jaylin Smith was the first Trojan off the board at pick No. 97, which is the longest USC has had to wait for a selection since before Pete Carroll was coach. USC had three players drafted, as Woody Marks joined Smith in Houston at No. 116 in the fourth round and Jonah Monheim was taken in the seventh round by Jacksonville. But next year, USC should have several players near the top of draft boards. Ja'Kobi Lane has all the tools to be a first-round NFL receiver. Kamari Ramsey should be among the top-rated safeties. And if Eric Gentry can stay healthy and build on his fast start last season, he could very well be a first-round pick. Makai Lemon and Keeshawn Silver could also have scouts watching them closely this fall. —Lindsay Gottlieb found a big in the transfer portal. So for those of you still holding your breath, it's OK to exhale now. I promise. Washington State transfer Dayana Mendes committed to USC on Thursday, giving Gottlieb her third portal addition of the offseason. Mendes isn't exactly Serah Williams, who remains the top uncommitted big in the portal, but Mendes was a West Coast Conference all-freshman selection after 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. USC can use all the help it can get at forward. —USC baseball, winners of six straight, should reach the 30-win mark this week. That's the third year in a row and a testament to how Andy Stankiewicz has rebuilt the program. USC hadn't strung together three 30-win seasons since 2000 to 2002. But in spite of not playing at their own home stadium, these Trojans are in position to make some noise in the postseason. They're currently among the last teams in the NCAA tournament field, per D1Baseball's projections. A huge series with UCLA awaits next weekend. —Sending positive vibes to the Arenas family after five-star USC signee Alijah Arenas was involved in a serious car accident last week. Arenas' life was saved by people who were miraculously on the scene and pulled him from his burning Tesla Cybertruck. There are still many details left to be filled in with this story. But what we do know, via the Arenas family, is that good Samaritans saved a young man's life. Alijah Arenas out of coma, shows 'significant signs of progress' after Cybertruck crash USC's Saint Thomas and others left in limbo by uncertainty over NCAA eligibility rules USC lands highly coveted Rodney Rice but loses Desmond Claude to transfer portal I struggle to find the words to adequately explain 'The Rehearsal' on Max and why I find it so brilliant, but believe me when I tell you that it is like nothing you've ever seen before. Season 1 of the show, which aired in 2022, saw comedian Nathan Fielder create elaborate sets and stage extremely detailed recreations meant to help ordinary people practice real-life situations before we watch them confront their fears. In Season 2, Fielder turns his attention to — and bear with me here — pilot error in fatal airline crashes. The tone of 'The Rehearsal' is, well … not for everyone. But if you're looking for some slightly uncomfortable humor in your life — I know I always am — Fielder and this show are for you.
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
College football recruiting thoughts: USC's staying power, UNC's in-state struggles
The contact period opened back up Tuesday for college football coaches and official visits are already underway. That can only mean one thing: The fun is about to really start. As top prospects continue to issue commitments and whittle down their lists, we figured now would be a good time to check in on the recruiting landscape and what's going on with college football's top programs and future stars. Advertisement Without further ado, some thoughts and notes: • USC has the nation's top class at the moment, and this feels like a group that might actually have some staying power. The Trojans have 13 blue-chippers (among the 22 commitments) and perhaps most importantly, 14 prospects from California. That's more than triple the number of in-state players they signed in the Class of 2025 and should give coach Lincoln Riley and staff a much better chance of keeping this group together down the stretch — after the program saw a staggering nine top-150 prospects decommit during the 2024 cycle. New general manager Chad Bowden — hired away from Notre Dame — has his fingerprints all over this class. He has said on multiple occasions that USC will once again make recruiting its backyard a priority. • All eyes have been on Tennessee this week on the heels of the Nico Iamaleava saga. There is no drama, however, with the Vols' quarterback commit in the Class of 2026. Five-star Faizon Brandon, ranked No. 5 overall and the No. 2 QB in the 247Sports Composite, has remained locked in with the Vols since his August commitment. As we know, a lot can change between now and December, but the Greensboro, N.C., native appears to be a safe bet to end up in Knoxville. • Speaking of quarterbacks, five of the top 10 in the 247Sports Composite are already committed in Brandon, five-star Texas commit Dia Bell, five-star Houston commit Keisean Henderson, four-star USC commit Jonas Williams and four-star Arizona State commit Jake Fette. That number will grow over the next few months with prospects heading out on official visits. The top quarterback in the class, Nashville native Jared Curtis, is getting close. He's down to two schools: Georgia and Oregon. You'll remember that Curtis was previously committed to Georgia from March through October 2024. He decommitted after realizing he wanted to explore his options, but the Bulldogs were always very high on his list. Kirby Smart vs. Dan Lanning for this one should make for a fun resolution one way or another. Advertisement • Sticking with Oregon, the Ducks have only eight commits, but this is again a very top-heavy class for Lanning, who already has two five-stars and four top-100 prospects. Five-star tight end Kendre Harrison, who also plans to play basketball for the Ducks, is the headliner. The North Carolina native is the nation's No. 13 prospect and has remained committed to the Ducks despite living about an hour away from UNC and getting a visit from coach Bill Belichick in January. Offensive tackle Kodi Greene, out of powerhouse Mater Dei in Southern California, is the other five-star, while four-star running back Tradarian Ball and local four-star defensive lineman Tony Cumberland are the other top-100 prospects in the class. The Ducks' average player rating of 93.55 ranks third nationally, behind only LSU and Alabama. One thing to watch: How much — if at all — will USC's improvements on the recruiting trail impact Oregon? The Ducks have clearly had the upper hand on USC in recent years, but as noted above, the Trojans are punching back. They have already flipped two Class of 2026 commits from Oregon — Williams, the four-star QB, and defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui out of Mater Dei. • Should Houston sign Henderson, it would go down as the biggest recruiting win of coach Willie Fritz's career. Henderson committed in May 2024, and as a general rule, the earlier a recruit commits, the harder it can be to hang onto him. But Henderson has been vocal on social media about recruiting top talent to join him and recently told ESPN he hasn't thought about other schools flipping him. That doesn't mean they won't try, though, especially if he only gets better as a high school senior. Of all the quarterback recruits in this class, he may be the most intriguing. He is a superb athlete who committed to Houston in part because Fritz promised him the opportunity to play quarterback. • Another interesting prospect to track: four-star tight end Brock Harris, the top player in Utah. Harris committed to BYU last week over Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, Utah and Miami, but won't enroll until after he serves a year-and-a-half mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Harris has already been featured on an electronic billboard in his BYU uniform and is the type of prospect the Cougars can build their future around. But they'll have to wait for his pass-catching, pancake-blocking services until 2027. Brock Harris next to his video Billboard after his hat ceremony The top TE prospect in the class of 2026 selected BYU & will be joining the team after his mission Learn more about why Brock picked BYU & what's coming next by clicking his link down belowhttps:// — CougConnect (@CougConnect) April 8, 2025 • The nation's top prospect, five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, is issuing a commitment at the end of this month. Cantwell is down to four schools: Miami, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State. That's particularly notable because it means Missouri, his in-state program, is out. The Tigers had a run of keeping top talent home in five-star wide receiver Luther Burden (from nearby East St. Louis, Ill.) and five-star defensive end Williams Nwaneri, but they also lost out on five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo to Texas, and Nwaneri has since transferred to Nebraska. Advertisement • North Carolina has started to pick up some steam on the recruiting trail with 13 commits, although just three are blue-chippers: defensive lineman Trashawn Ruffin out of Mt. Olive (N.C.) North Duplin, running back Jaylen McGill out of Spartanburg (S.C.) Mountain View Prep and cornerback O'Mari Johnson from Jackson (Miss.) Academy. Belichick continues to make inroads in California, with three commits, and the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast, with four total commits (from Maryland, New York and Massachusetts). But the Tar Heels haven't quite broken through in-state yet. North Carolina doesn't have a commitment from any of the top 12 players in the state. Three are committed to Notre Dame. It's early, but UNC also still needs a quarterback in this class. Top prospects may be in wait-and-see mode until Belichick has something to show on the field this fall. • Don't be surprised when traditional powers such as Georgia, Alabama and Texas get rolling into the summer and fall and finish with some of the nation's top classes again. But for now, these schools are off to a bit of a slower start — from a numbers standpoint. The Bulldogs have just six commits with no five-stars (although Curtis would change that), the Crimson Tide have just five commits with one five-star (cornerback Jorden Edmonds), and the Longhorns have only four commits with Bell as the lone five-star. Look for all three programs to use summer official visits to bulk up their classes significantly. • Stanford figures to be one of the most fascinating programs to watch on the recruiting trail this season. Frank Reich is the program's interim coach after general manager Andrew Luck fired Troy Taylor last month. Reich, who coached Luck in his final year with the Indianapolis Colts, hasn't coached at the collegiate level before and, therefore, is new to recruiting. Add in the reality that he will be tasked with recruiting players who don't know who their head coach will be in 2026, and it gets all the more complicated for the Cardinal. Stanford currently has three commits in the Class of 2026, none of whom is ranked higher than No. 700 nationally. Luck, who became the general manager in late 2024, may have to be the program's figurehead this year. • After signing the nation's No. 26 class in 2025, Clemson has had some early fireworks with a 2026 group that currently ranks No. 3 nationally. The Tigers have 13 commits, including three top-200 prospects. Four-star offensive lineman Chancellor Barclay out of Orlando committed last month and pulled a nice little prank on Clemson coach Dabo Swinney when he started off his call by pretending he had bad news. The Tigers are famous for building their rosters through high school prospects instead of the transfer portal, which is fine if they sign top-10 classes regularly. Bouncing back after a (relatively) down 2025 cycle would bode well for a program eager to win a third national title under Swinney. The Commitment Call@ChancellorB2026 @chadmavety55 @daboswinney #ALLIN@ClemsonFB 💜🐅🧡 — Chris Anne Barclay (@ChrisAnne2817) March 10, 2025 • Only two Power 4 schools have no commits at all: Wake Forest and Colorado. Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert is still getting to know high school football coaches in the south, while Colorado coach Deion Sanders is known for building his rosters through the portal. • There's still plenty of talent left for the taking. Of the 28 five-star prospects in this class, 17 are still uncommitted. And of the top 100 prospects, 64 are still on the board. Buckle up for a fun summer. (Photo of Lincoln Riley: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Q&A: Why extra-soft toilet paper is part of Chad Bowden's USC recruiting strategy
To Chad Bowden, no detail is too small. USC football's new general manager has seen enough during his rapid rise through the personnel ranks to know little things can make a major impact on a program. So when he first took the reins of USC's front office in late January, Bowden set out looking for something small to improve right away, to get the ball rolling and set a tone in the building. Advertisement He started with the toilet paper. 'Charmin Ultra Soft,' Bowden said, with a smile. 'I got it in every bathroom now for our players.' His tireless efforts since then to revamp the front office have energized the entire program this spring, sparking a stunning run on the recruiting trail that has USC — and its 22 commitments, eight more than any other school — atop every possible ranking for the class of 2026. Read more: Professor Pete Carroll finds a rapt USC audience for his 'Win Forever' philosophy The vibes around USC have been especially good since Bowden's arrival. And if you ask him, the extra-soft toilet paper — or, at least, the idea behind it — is part of that reason. Advertisement Recently, one USC coach joked that it was the best change he'd made in two months on the job. 'It might not matter to some people,' Bowden said. 'But everything matters in what you're doing in a program. If you focus on that, there is a belief that starts to bleed out into the program of like, 'Oh, we're going to be on point in everything we do. Because that's who we are now.'' His first two months have been focused, in large part, on making that point — that every detail matters. Bowden sat down with The Times on Thursday to discuss the little things that matter, his first two months on the job and his thoughts on the future. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Advertisement How do you identify the little things within this program that you zeroed in on? Everything matters. The amount of sleep our players are getting, the amount of sleep our coaches are getting, the type of life we're all living. I think about how everything our players are doing, every single hour of every single day, matters. Everything matters. We just got out of a player success meeting, going over every single player, whether it has to do with academics, whether they're sleeping right, what they're eating from a nutrition standpoint, how they're doing in the weight room. This whole thing is not just about football. It's about developing young people. That goes with doing the little things. Accountability and discipline, we're looking to instill discipline in this football program and take care of the little things to the best of our ability, to help them grow as men. When did it become clear to you that the small details matter that much? It's always mattered to me in this profession. I didn't really understand it. I think at my previous stop, I learned a lot about every avenue and how it all works together and how every detail of their day and every detail of this football program matters. Because if everything is aligning, from our toilet paper to them being in the B Gap, or them making sure when they're coming back on a stop route that it's at the yard marker you're asking them. Every single detail matters. And if you treat it that way, you're going to get the type of results that lead to really successful things. Advertisement Did you sense that you were bringing a new level of focus on those more minor facets of the program? It was already here. I just think it's a different way. Look, finding your better way now is forever evolving. I have to evolve every single day, every single year. You have to enhance everything you do, otherwise this game will pass you by. That's just my mindset with everything. That at any given moment — I know this opportunity can be taken away from me at any moment. And I don't want it to be taken away from me. I have that mindset that people are gonna come for you. And I want to make sure when they do, that I'm better every single time. How do you determine the sort of department you want to build? Is this a Pete Carroll situation where you've spent all this time writing out your principles and envisioning your perfect front office? Or did you bring something similar to what you had at Notre Dame? Every place is different, and I pay respect to what has been done before me, and I have nothing but respect for what's been done over the last three years with the recruiting and personnel department. Now it's all under one. When I came in, I wanted to see what that was and what had been going on, and you know, it's not like I made any big adjustments. The only thing that really we did is we brought — recruiting was down there (points one way), recruiting was down there (points the other way). If anybody knows me, I don't like working in my own office. I like working with people because I want them to see me work. Because when they see me work, they're gonna go, 'Oh my God. I get this whole thing. I get why I have respect for him. I understand how much he works. I understand what he's doing.' I want them to hear my calls. I want them to hear what's going on every single day, and I want to hear what they're doing. I wanna make sure that we're all working and aligned together, and there's nobody slipping up because we're all on this path together. We're all on the same ship together, and we're all moving forward. Advertisement Read more: USC's new GM convinced Trojans are 'sleeping giant' of college football I don't want anyone to venture off. We're all in this thing together. So you come to a place like this where there's been a lot of success. We have great players, you know, there's been some really big-time recruiting wins. There's been a lot of good things that have already been going on in this program. It's just bringing everybody together to be on the same ship to freaking roll down, to roll in the Pacific Ocean against anybody, anytime, anywhere, any place, 53⅓ by 120, we're coming for you. Because we're all in this together. So do you work out of a shared space? I don't have my own office. I didn't want one. They asked me and they were dumbfounded, which was hilarious to me. But anyone that knows me knows I'm working with everyone. So recruiting and personnel, we're all in the same area, the front office. Advertisement I read recently that some of the new front office members have been living with you? Dre [Brown] and Zaire [Turner] still live with me currently. Max [Stienecker] was living with me at one time, too. Unfortunately. He misses me already. But yeah, they're living with me and my wife Ava in Palos Verdes. Guess it helps to get things off the ground with a new operation when you're under the same roof? They know that they can stay with me whenever. They know that. Just like anybody on this staff could. You mentioned early wins on the recruiting trail. You have the No. 1 class in 2026. When you look at how well you guys are doing in recruiting, what would you say has been the catalyst to building that momentum? There's a lot of momentum that comes from having everyone working together. We all came up with this plan together. It's not just one person. It's everybody working together as one. And that's not just, you know, the coaches, whatever, our administration, our support staff. Everybody has helped this momentum and everybody at USC is helping with the vision of what this football program is going to be. Advertisement So it's not just one person. I think there's just an incredible amount of alignment and togetherness as I reference the ship, there's just everybody on the same page with what this is gonna be. I think that's why there's been a lot of success. Now I know everyone is looking at this momentum. I've done this everywhere I've gone. Everybody is riding the highs right now, and just understand that with really great highs come some lows, right? And we're gonna go through some through this class. But the highs are going to be way bigger than the lows. And what we're eventually going to build, I don't care if we finish with the No. 1 recruiting class in the rankings and staff, I care about us getting the right ones that value USC, that value this degree, value the connections and the network, and the fact that this place can set you up for the rest of your life on top of that. You have your dream and goals in mind of playing in the NFL, you have the best coaches in the entire country, the best coaches in the world for you to reach your full potential as a football player, and on top of that, there's not one thing we don't have and we live in the greatest city in America in Los Angeles. You project a lot of confidence. How much do you feel like that has helped propel you in your career? It's more about how much I've lost. I've never won a national championship. So I have no idea what that looks like. Obviously I've been in that moment, but we lost the moment. It's not like I'm the one on the field scoring the touchdown. You're part of a program, right? That's what you do. It's not confidence. It's a willingness to always try to enhance a football program to whatever it takes to get to the top of that moment, winning that moment. That's really all it is. It's knowing that I don't have all the answers. But I want to win, and we want to win at USC. That's what USC is all about. We're the hottest ticket in town in the city of Los Angeles when we're winning. We're going to get there. It might not be today, but I can promise you, today, right now, April 10, 2025, we're going to operate today like we're a national championship program. And it's going to be that way every single day that I'm here, every single minute, every hour, that's what we're going to be. The results might not be what people want, but stay with us, because the future is incredibly bright. And it's the brightest that it ever has been in a very long time. Read more: J'Onre 'Big General' Reed brings energy and power to USC offensive line Advertisement In terms of the future, the college football landscape is set to change significantly soon with the House settlement. I'm curious what your biggest concerns or questions are about the new era we're entering. I have no concerns with the current landscape. Whatever guidelines or whatever rules are going to be in place, I look forward to maximizing whatever those are. So it doesn't matter to me what's placed in front of us. We're going to go for it all. And we'll have a lot of different plans to make sure that we're going to be at the top when it's all said and done. The new landscape to me, people are worried. I've seen interviews and people talking about this new landscape, but I'm excited. I'm excited for whatever it's going to be. We're going to do things the right way. But we're also going to maximize it. Right now everything is out in the open. There's no cap on what players can be paid. I know those people who are worried suggest that when things change and NIL deals have to be approved by a clearinghouse, we're just going to see many of those deals go under the table. Do you think it's inevitable with those rules that we'll see schools trying to circumvent the cap? I know that we're going to recruit the right kids. And I know that even if something like that were to take place, we're going to do everything by the book, and we're going to maximize that to the best of our ability. It won't matter because we're going to choose kids who choose USC for the right reasons. If that's how other programs want to conduct themselves, they can. It won't matter. It won't matter in the end. Advertisement Whatever ends up happening with college athletics and college football, whatever type of enforcement, whatever it looks like, I just know we're going to be prepared for it. We're going to do everything the right way. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Q&A: Why extra-soft toilet paper is part of Chad Bowden's USC recruiting strategy
To Chad Bowden, no detail is too small. USC football's new general manager has seen enough during his rapid rise through the personnel ranks to know little things can make a major impact on a program. So when he first took the reins of USC's front office in late January, Bowden set out looking for something small to improve right away, to get the ball rolling and set a tone in the building. He started with the toilet paper. 'Charmin Ultra Soft,' Bowden said, with a smile. 'I got it in every bathroom now for our players.' His tireless efforts since then to revamp the front office have energized the entire program this spring, sparking a stunning run on the recruiting trail that has USC — and its 22 commitments, eight more than any other school — atop every possible ranking for the class of 2026. The vibes around USC have been especially good since Bowden's arrival. And if you ask him, the extra-soft toilet paper — or, at least, the idea behind it — is part of that reason. Recently, one USC coach joked that it was the best change he'd made in two months on the job. 'It might not matter to some people,' Bowden said. 'But everything matters in what you're doing in a program. If you focus on that, there is a belief that starts to bleed out into the program of like, 'Oh, we're going to be on point in everything we do. Because that's who we are now.'' His first two months have been focused, in large part, on making that point — that every detail matters. Bowden sat down with The Times on Thursday to discuss the little things that matter, his first two months on the job and his thoughts on the future. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. How do you identify the little things within this program that you zeroed in on? Everything matters. The amount of sleep our players are getting, the amount of sleep our coaches are getting, the type of life we're all living. I think about how everything our players are doing, every single hour of every single day, matters. Everything matters. We just got out of a player success meeting, going over every single player, whether it has to do with academics, whether they're sleeping right, what they're eating from a nutrition standpoint, how they're doing in the weight room. This whole thing is not just about football. It's about developing young people. That goes with doing the little things. Accountability and discipline, we're looking to instill discipline in this football program and take care of the little things to the best of our ability, to help them grow as men. When did it become clear to you that the small details matter that much? It's always mattered to me in this profession. I didn't really understand it. I think at my previous stop, I learned a lot about every avenue and how it all works together and how every detail of their day and every detail of this football program matters. Because if everything is aligning, from our toilet paper to them being in the B Gap, or them making sure when they're coming back on a stop route that it's at the yard marker you're asking them. Every single detail matters. And if you treat it that way, you're going to get the type of results that lead to really successful things. Did you sense that you were bringing a new level of focus on those more minor facets of the program? It was already here. I just think it's a different way. Look, finding your better way now is forever evolving. I have to evolve every single day, every single year. You have to enhance everything you do, otherwise this game will pass you by. That's just my mindset with everything. That at any given moment — I know this opportunity can be taken away from me at any moment. And I don't want it to be taken away from me. I have that mindset that people are gonna come for you. And I want to make sure when they do, that I'm better every single time. How do you determine the sort of department you want to build? Is this a Pete Carroll situation where you've spent all this time writing out your principles and envisioning your perfect front office? Or did you bring something similar to what you had at Notre Dame? Every place is different, and I pay respect to what has been done before me, and I have nothing but respect for what's been done over the last three years with the recruiting and personnel department. Now it's all under one. When I came in, I wanted to see what that was and what had been going on, and you know, it's not like I made any big adjustments. The only thing that really we did is we brought — recruiting was down there (points one way), recruiting was down there (points the other way). If anybody knows me, I don't like working in my own office. I like working with people because I want them to see me work. Because when they see me work, they're gonna go, 'Oh my God. I get this whole thing. I get why I have respect for him. I understand how much he works. I understand what he's doing.' I want them to hear my calls. I want them to hear what's going on every single day, and I want to hear what they're doing. I wanna make sure that we're all working and aligned together, and there's nobody slipping up because we're all on this path together. We're all on the same ship together, and we're all moving forward. I don't want anyone to venture off. We're all in this thing together. So you come to a place like this where there's been a lot of success. We have great players, you know, there's been some really big-time recruiting wins. There's been a lot of good things that have already been going on in this program. It's just bringing everybody together to be on the same ship to freaking roll down, to roll in the Pacific Ocean against anybody, anytime, anywhere, any place, 53⅓ by 120, we're coming for you. Because we're all in this together. So do you work out of a shared space? I don't have my own office. I didn't want one. They asked me and they were dumbfounded, which was hilarious to me. But anyone that knows me knows I'm working with everyone. So recruiting and personnel, we're all in the same area, the front office. I read recently that some of the new front office members have been living with you? Dre [Brown] and Zaire [Turner] still live with me currently. Max [Stienecker] was living with me at one time, too. Unfortunately. He misses me already. But yeah, they're living with me and my wife Ava in Palos Verdes. Guess it helps to get things off the ground with a new operation when you're under the same roof? They know that they can stay with me whenever. They know that. Just like anybody on this staff could. You mentioned early wins on the recruiting trail. You have the No. 1 class in 2026. When you look at how well you guys are doing in recruiting, what would you say has been the catalyst to building that momentum? There's a lot of momentum that comes from having everyone working together. We all came up with this plan together. It's not just one person. It's everybody working together as one. And that's not just, you know, the coaches, whatever, our administration, our support staff. Everybody has helped this momentum and everybody at USC is helping with the vision of what this football program is going to be. So it's not just one person. I think there's just an incredible amount of alignment and togetherness as I reference the ship, there's just everybody on the same page with what this is gonna be. I think that's why there's been a lot of success. Now I know everyone is looking at this momentum. I've done this everywhere I've gone. Everybody is riding the highs right now, and just understand that with really great highs come some lows, right? And we're gonna go through some through this class. But the highs are going to be way bigger than the lows. And what we're eventually going to build, I don't care if we finish with the No. 1 recruiting class in the rankings and staff, I care about us getting the right ones that value USC, that value this degree, value the connections and the network, and the fact that this place can set you up for the rest of your life on top of that. You have your dream and goals in mind of playing in the NFL, you have the best coaches in the entire country, the best coaches in the world for you to reach your full potential as a football player, and on top of that, there's not one thing we don't have and we live in the greatest city in America in Los Angeles. You project a lot of confidence. How much do you feel like that has helped propel you in your career? It's more about how much I've lost. I've never won a national championship. So I have no idea what that looks like. Obviously I've been in that moment, but we lost the moment. It's not like I'm the one on the field scoring the touchdown. You're part of a program, right? That's what you do. It's not confidence. It's a willingness to always try to enhance a football program to whatever it takes to get to the top of that moment, winning that moment. That's really all it is. It's knowing that I don't have all the answers. But I want to win, and we want to win at USC. That's what USC is all about. We're the hottest ticket in town in the city of Los Angeles when we're winning. We're going to get there. It might not be today, but I can promise you, today, right now, April 10, 2025, we're going to operate today like we're a national championship program. And it's going to be that way every single day that I'm here, every single minute, every hour, that's what we're going to be. The results might not be what people want, but stay with us, because the future is incredibly bright. And it's the brightest that it ever has been in a very long time. In terms of the future, the college football landscape is set to change significantly soon with the House settlement. I'm curious what your biggest concerns or questions are about the new era we're entering. I have no concerns with the current landscape. Whatever guidelines or whatever rules are going to be in place, I look forward to maximizing whatever those are. So it doesn't matter to me what's placed in front of us. We're going to go for it all. And we'll have a lot of different plans to make sure that we're going to be at the top when it's all said and done. The new landscape to me, people are worried. I've seen interviews and people talking about this new landscape, but I'm excited. I'm excited for whatever it's going to be. We're going to do things the right way. But we're also going to maximize it. Right now everything is out in the open. There's no cap on what players can be paid. I know those people who are worried suggest that when things change and NIL deals have to be approved by a clearinghouse, we're just going to see many of those deals go under the table. Do you think it's inevitable with those rules that we'll see schools trying to circumvent the cap? I know that we're going to recruit the right kids. And I know that even if something like that were to take place, we're going to do everything by the book, and we're going to maximize that to the best of our ability. It won't matter because we're going to choose kids who choose USC for the right reasons. If that's how other programs want to conduct themselves, they can. It won't matter. It won't matter in the end. Whatever ends up happening with college athletics and college football, whatever type of enforcement, whatever it looks like, I just know we're going to be prepared for it. We're going to do everything the right way.
USA Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC football recruiting isn't slowing down; if anything, it is gaining altitude
USC football recruiting isn't slowing down; if anything, it is gaining altitude USC's Oregon flip confirms recruiting surge under Chad Bowden After decommitting from Oregon last week, four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui had been heavily trending towards USC. On Tuesday, Topui made it official: He will be a Trojan. Landing Topui is yet another a massive addition to USC's already top-ranked 2026 recruiting class. According to 247Sports Composite, he is the No. 130 overall player and the No. 15 defensive lineman in the class of 2026. Topui attends Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. Perhaps the most well-known feeder program for USC, Mater Dei has produced numerous past Trojans stars, including Matt Leinart, Matt Barkley, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Reestablishing a strong pipeline with the program would be huge for Bowden and USC in future recruiting cycles. Perhaps even more notable, however, is the fact that the Trojans beat out the Ducks to land him. In recent cycles, Oregon had been landing the vast majority of top recruits on the West Coast. With this 2026 class, however, Chad Bowen and Lincoln Riley are sending a clear message that they intend to change that moving forward.
