Chad Bowden Doesn’t Buy Into Lincoln Riley’s Hot Seat as USC GM Clarifies HC Outlook

It’s a make-it-or-break-it season for Lincoln Riley. The pressure for a robust season ahead is not a want right now. Not even close to a need. It’s the redemption Riley has set his eyes on. Even though Paul Finebaum said, “I would have fired him last year if I didn’t have to eat an $80 million buyout,” after his 7-6 season in the Big Ten last year, there has been an addition to his buyout. And it’s not a small amount. It’s a whopping $10 million addition. The Trojans’ HC’s buyout has increased to a lump sum $90 million, with the stakes proportionally increasing. But Los Angeles has got his back…

GM Chad Bowden joined the Trojans this January. He called shotgun, driving alongside Riley, trying to keep the program afloat. Though he is new, that doesn’t mean he does not know what is at stake, and what this season could mean for USC and Riley’s future. In a conversation with Big Ten Football’s Ashley Adamson & Yogi Roth, Bowden coolly laid out his faith in Riley.

“It’s only a matter of time until it gets back. And I think it’s so close. That’s the one thing people don’t understand: how close we really are. Obviously, I wasn’t here last year. But obviously, I know how close it was last year.” Yes, the Trojans treaded on a tight rope last season. They played tough schedules, squaring off against Texas A&M, the Irish, and the entirety of the Big Ten; they were close to victory, but a wrinkle here or there cost them dearly, edging out in the fourth quarter. Out of the six losses that ached like a burn, five of them had been pretty close wins.

Bowden continued. “And I’m hoping that some of the changes that were done this offseason are able to push this thing over the edge to get it back to where it’s supposed to.” A lot of changes and additions were made to the program this offseason. They hired Trumain Carroll to improve the strength and conditioning program. They got Rob Ryan and Bowden himself to steer the program to its elitist level.

Even Chip Patterson is rooting for the Trojans’ head coach. “…Lincoln Riley, probably for the first time since he got there, has everything in his house organized; when we spoke to Lincoln Riley at Big 10 Media Days, he told us on the Cover Three podcast that this is the first time that he feels like he’s really been able to get back to coaching ball.” Yes, the 2025 schedule is stacked with depth, squaring off against Notre Dame, Oregon, etc, but Patterson is optimistic that Riley can go 10-2 this season. “…think that this USC team can go 10 and two.”

Lincoln Riley is grinding hard this season, though, physically not going through the tiring drills, but on the same wavelength, he is running mental sprints.

Chad Bowden calls Lincoln Riley an underrated recruiter

The hosts further asked Chad Bowden about Coach Riley’s impression he had. His response? Utter faith and conviction in the head coach’s abilities. Back in March, he had stated that USC was a “sleeping giant of college football.” During the same interview with Yogi and Adamson, they further asked him what he made out of Riley in the past seven months, while working alongside him.

“He’s a phenomenal coach, obviously,” Bowden replied in a blink of the eye. “He’s a phenomenal leader. He’s one of the most underrated recruiters in college football. I think he does an unbelievable job with preparation and scheduling, detailed, you know, he’s done a phenomenal job since I’ve been with him.” Yeah, makes sense, doesn’t it? Even the next batch of potential players, the Class of 2026, has topped the recruiting charts. Lincoln is burning the midnight oil to get his point across.

He continued. “We work really well together, and I’m kind of excited to see where he goes, you know, this year, with me being here, it would take so much off his plate, so he can just be the best coach Riley.” Going forward, Coach Riley is confident in Jayden Maiava and his roster. The work he put into the offseason, and more. “There’s growth in a climb happening right now,” he promised. Let’s see what this upcoming season brings forth for Lincoln Riley.