It is no secret that general manager Chad Bowden has been massive for USC recruiting. After signing the No. 1 class in the country last year, the Trojans are looking to put together another elite group in the 2027 cycle.
In a recent story, Antonio Morales and Bruce Feldman of The Athletic spoke to numerous Southern California high school coaches about how USC recruiting has changed under Bowden. Here is what some of them had to say:
“Coach 2: The emphasis obviously is on the West Coast. They definitely want to lock down the best players on the West Coast. That’s the No. 1 thing he has done and made a commitment to — “We’re not going to let any of our elite players get out of the area regardless of position.”
Coach 3: They’re up front and they talk about NIL and what that looks like, when before it was vague to say the least. Now it’s straight to the point. You know where it is, you know what your value is and what they want to do.
Coach 4: We’ve been very involved with USC over the years. … They’ve done a great job and are continuing to do a great job.
Coach 5: The focus on out-of-state national kids is more targeted. Whereas before it was kind of whoever they wanted, they’d pursue nationally, mainly in the South, and it was kind of reflective in the culture. I heard the cries about, ‘Hey, SC isn’t recruiting our kid or coming to recruit our kids.’ They’ve changed that.
Coach 7: I really don’t think it has actually. It’s still USC, and they still lean too much on the past. … I still think they’re too old school. I just don’t think it’s what 2026 is. Things are different now. The whole landscape is different. The No. 1 ranking in the commitment class doesn’t really mean anything. It just doesn’t. ‘Oh, they got 20 four- and five-star guys.’ Half of those kids ain’t gonna be there in two years, and a bunch of the other half of those guys ain’t gonna pan out.
Coach 9: He came in guns blazing, man. He’s done a great job with recruiting the local guys and getting them to stay home. It’d been a while where both SC and UCLA weren’t really recruiting locally for whatever reasons, but when Bowden came in, he made a huge emphasis on recruiting the top-tier guys and keeping them here.”
While USC fans are very high on Bowden, it is interesting that high school coaches seem to have a more mixed opinion. USC’s general manager will look to continue to prove his doubters wrong on the recruiting trail moving forward.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Local high school coaches share thoughts on USC GM Chad Bowden
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
