The beaches of southern California were transpiring into quicksand for USC Trojans’ head coach, Lincoln Riley. As hard as he tried to escape the hole he was sinking into, he seemed to get hauled further in. Then came a helping hand. A messiah to lift not only Riley but the mood around the entire Trojans program. Under Lincoln Riley, USC has had a conspicuous downward spiral year after year. They’ve gone from 11 wins to 8 and now to 7. Conceded, 2025 isn’t shaping up too well either. But 2026 on? A seismic shift is underway. With one man who came from an arch-nemesis at the epicenter. Anything but a Trojan horse coming over from the enemy. 

USC has just onboarded a new GM in Chad Bowden. He comes over from rivals and Natty finalists Notre Dame. How did they manage to pull off this coup? With all due respect, trading South Bend for LA is enticing in itself. But there’s also the small matter of the Trojans quadrupling his $250k salary to a cool $1 million. Bowden will just have to contend with the traitor moniker he’s about to be tagged with for joining the other side of the ​​Jeweled Shillelagh trophy. At this current juncture, the USC program is a far cry from the Irish. But Bowden has already shown he’s a top recruiter who can awaken a sleeping giant. It’s not a coincidence that Lincoln Riley currently boasts of the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for ‘26. Bowden has been getting busy, and at the direct expense of Marcus Freeman. Twice at that. 

4-star D-lineman Simote Katoanga was trending towards the Irish for a minute. The signs pointed to Freeman getting his man, and Chad Bowden was at the crux of the process. The script has now flipped on its head, with Katoanga now a USC commit. Trojans’ insider USC J took to his “LOST IN THA SAUCE” podcast to relay how Bowden made this happen. “[Simote Katoanga] wasn’t even expected. This just kind of came out of the blue just a couple days prior to [it] happening. So for this to even turn in USC’s favor, you got to know that this is the Chad Bowden effect,” he said. 

Ahead of his final high school season, Cali-native Katoanga is transferring to Rancho Santa Margarita. Fascinatingly head coached by USC legend Carson Palmer. Another player from the same HS is now predicted to land with coach Riley. Someone who went as far as saying, “Notre Dame was my dream school growing up,” and was offered by Marcus Freeman and Chad Bowden way back in 2022. 4-star wide receiver Trent Mosley is expected by On3’s Steve Wiltfong to be a Trojan. The no. 11 WR in his class of ‘26, Mosley is an even steal from the Irish than Katoanga.

Both of Trent Mosley’s parents went to Notre Dame. His father, Emmett Mosley IV, played football for the Fighting Irish. Mother Cindy Mosley (née Daws) is a bona fide legend for the soccer program. She won the Hermann Trophy, equivalent to the Heisman in women’s collegiate soccer. Daws left South Bend as the top scorer in Notre Dame history. Yet, her son won’t don the gold helmet. The aforementioned “Chad Bowden effect” is very real, folks.

A school on the Pacific coast, located in a city that’s probably the biggest sports market in the country. Meshed with an offensive whiz in Lincoln Riley and a GM like Chad Bowden. Attracting high-caliber recruits, especially in-state ones, should theoretically be easy. Now, it’s finally clicking. The Trojans are making noise, and it’ll reverberate nationally soon enough. It is already around South Bend. Who’ve got more than just this issue to contend with. When it rains, it pours, and best believe USC fans aren’t offering up any proverbial umbrellas.

Lincoln Riley’s recruitment rampage is only piling on the woes of Marcus Freeman

Injuries are an inevitable ramification of football. Especially when you’ve made a deep playoff run all the way to the final game of the season. Marcus Freeman witnessed this firsthand, and it inadvertently played a part in their loss to Ohio State. The area of the field the Irish were most affected in is historically the most important. It’s something that was proven during the Super Bowl, too. Both sides of the line of scrimmage were obliterated for Notre Dame all year. 11 linemen missed time. Including 4 season-ending injuries at different, equally crucial stages. Now, there’s concern about those issues in the trenches resurfacing.

Marcus Freeman has proclaimed the Irish are a “line-driven program.” Yet, no less than 6 offensive linemen have left via the transfer portal. Couple this with worries of reinjury, and Notre Dame may be in trouble again. They made up last year with makeshift lines of out-of-position players. But lightning hardly strikes twice. Well, unless you’re Lincoln Riley trying to snatch players from your rival! Ironically, Riley’s own D-line is gaining plaudits as one of the best in the B1G.

Success breeds its own kinds of problems. For Marcus Freeman, it bred substantial interest from the NFL. At least the Irish were able to avert that, but they couldn’t quite do so with other personnel. In a revelation that’s equal parts expected and troubling, a mass exodus ensued out of South Bend. A multitude of key contributors to the National Championship run have departed for greener pastures than even the leprechauns could conjure. All three levels of the hierarchy have been breached. The front office with Chad Bowden, the coaching staff with Al Golden, and the players themselves. Every foundational pillar has been shaken, and Marcus Freeman is now tasked with keeping what he’s built intact. Lincoln Riley’s program is down but is seemingly climbing back up. Freeman’s just got to the zenith and is one misstep from tumbling down. CFB remains synonymous with fickle. Things can change on a whim.