Lincoln Riley explains why hire of Chad Bowden as GM was among the most challenging hires ever

Arguably the biggest addition made to Lincoln Riley’s staff at USC this offseason was that of Chad Bowden, the Trojans’ new GM.

According to Riley, this was one of the most challenging hires that he’s ever had to make. With a position that touches so many aspects of the program’s day-to-day operations, he believes Bowden, who previously held the same position at Notre Dame, was the right man for the job.

“If you want to go hire a linebacker coach, you go interview the best linebacker coaches and try to hire the best guy you can,” Riley explained to On3’s JD PicKell. “Like, it’s pretty clear cut. This one, because of all the ways that college football has changed was a much more difficult hire because you’re entering a salary cap era.

“There’s the appeal of people with pro experience, although some of the people with NFL experience don’t quite understand the college recruiting model and all of that.”

During the hiring process, Riley described some of the qualities he was looking for in his program’s GM. It appears that Bowden checked all of his boxes.

“This person’s got to have a lot of great skill sets,” Riley continued. “They’ve got to be able to handle a lot of different things. We interviewed more people for this position and talked to more people than any search I’ve ever been involved with, but it was thorough. I mean, it was, it was eight to nine months in the making, but we felt like our patience was rewarded.

“We felt like we got the absolute best guy in the business.”

Riley praised Bowden for taking the step over to USC when he already had the same position at a program fresh off a national championship game appearance. Riley said it was a move that “he didn’t have to do.”

The move was an obvious one for Bowden, given the fact that he received a substantial raise to join the Trojans program. According to FootballScoop’s John Brice when Bowden was hired, he revealed that Bowden’s new deal with USC was worth roughly $1 million annually. This is compared to the up to $300,000, including bonuses, that he was making with the Irish.

He’s going to make a huge difference in our program,” Riley said. “I’m excited to be working hand-in-hand with him. We knew it was an essential part of our future. And again, I just don’t think it could have turned out any better for the Trojans.”

The post Lincoln Riley explains why hire of Chad Bowden as GM was among the most challenging hires ever appeared first on On3.