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Lincoln Riley enters his fourth season at USC with the Trojans looking to bounce back in their second Big Ten campaign. But as the program aims to reclaim its former glory, a surprising oversight has emerged in Riley’s recruiting approach.
Known as an offensive mastermind and recruiting powerhouse during his Oklahoma days, Riley has maintained strong national recruiting classes at USC. There’s just one glaring problem — he’s largely ignored the talent-rich state his program calls home.
It’s a head-scratcher even casual fans can’t miss.
The tide appears to be turning, though, as USC recently brought in Chad Bowden as general manager to overhaul the program’s recruiting strategy and football operations. Bowden’s vision couldn’t be clearer.
“We’re going to do everything through the city,”said Bowden, h/t The Athletic. “We’re going to do everything through the state. That’s going to be our primary focus.”
I've written this but Chad Bowden's recruiting, roster-building vision with #USC has been made crystal clear. It starts locally and throughout California. He re-emphasized that today. pic.twitter.com/mqUAkMbtbg
— Antonio Morales (@AntonioCMorales) March 3, 2025
Riley’s California recruiting drought raises eyebrows
The numbers tell a troubling story. Of the 90 players who’ve committed to USC under Riley’s watch (including the upcoming 2026 class), just 32 hail from California. Even more concerning — only 25 of the 79 players who’ve actually signed with the program are California products.
That’s a measly 31.6 percent — a shockingly low figure for a program that should dominate recruiting in its own backyard. While Riley leaned heavily on the transfer portal during his first year, his subsequent high school recruiting classes haven’t prioritized local talent either.
Despite landing nearly half his second class from California high schools, Riley’s 2024 and 2025 classes included just 12 California prospects among 46 total signees. This pattern isn’t new for Riley — during his five years at Oklahoma, he signed only 17 in-state players while bringing in six from California during that same period.
The disconnect is puzzling. Riley clearly recognizes California’s talent pipeline — he’s just failed to tap into it effectively at USC.
Bowden brings proven local recruiting approach
Enter Chad Bowden, who joined USC after transforming Notre Dame’s recruiting operation. After joining the Fighting Irish in 2021, Bowden eventually became their first-ever general manager, earning the 2024 FootballScoop Player Personnel Director of the Year award while assembling four top-12 recruiting classes and a top-15 transfer class.
What makes Bowden’s hiring particularly promising for USC fans? His track record of regional recruiting success. At Notre Dame — another program with national appeal — Bowden signed 11 players from Indiana and effectively mined surrounding states like Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio.
Perhaps most telling: Bowden’s Notre Dame program signed 12 California prospects during his tenure — essentially matching USC’s California haul in the last two classes combined.
The potential upside is enormous. California consistently produces about 20 recruits in 247 Sports’ top 250 rankings annually. The pipeline shows no signs of slowing, with 28 Californians in the top 250 for 2026 and another 10 in the top 100 for 2027.
With USC’s storied history and geographic advantage — literally surrounded by elite talent — the program’s renewed focus on dominating California recruiting feels less like innovation and more like a return to common sense. For Trojan faithful, the only question is why it took so long.
