Notre Dame fans are absolutely livid after learning that their former general manager, Chad Bowden, is actively helping USC prepare for Saturday’s showdown in South Bend. And honestly, who can blame them? Bowden left Notre Dame for the same GM role at USC back in January.

So, this isn’t some random analyst offering generic scouting reports. This is a guy who spent four years building Marcus Freeman’s roster from the ground up. He was in every recruiting meeting, and he knows every player’s tendencies and weaknesses. And now he is handing that intel directly to the Trojans’ defensive staff. Reporter Ryan Kartje dropped the bomb when he revealed that USC’s DC D’Anton Lynn said Bowden “has been a big help this week, sharing info to prepare for Notre Dame’s personnel.” 

What makes this situation even more problematic is that Bowden has a legitimate coaching background and football IQ. That makes him far more valuable than your typical front-office executive. Bowden started his career as a defensive coordinator at Western Brown High School in Ohio when he was just 20 years old with zero coaching experience, learning on the fly, even if his teams went 1-9 that first season. 

He then worked his way up through Cincinnati’s program as a student intern, defensive quality control assistant, and eventually recruiting director, all while forming a close bond with Marcus Freeman, who was the Bearcats’ defensive coordinator at the time. When Marcus Freeman moved to Notre Dame in 2021 as defensive coordinator and then became head coach in 2022, he brought Chad Bowden along as his right-hand man and recruiting director. They assembled three consecutive top-12 recruiting classes that formed the foundation of Notre Dame’s run to the national championship game last season. 

The timing of this revelation couldn’t be worse for Notre Dame, which is sitting at 4-2 after losses to Miami and Texas A&M. They desperately need to win out to have any realistic shot at making the College Football Playoff. With two losses already on their resume and no ranked opponents remaining on the schedule outside of this USC game, the Irish are essentially playing elimination football for the rest of the season. One more loss and their playoff hopes are effectively dead. 

USC, meanwhile, is 5-1 and ranked 20th in the country, with its only loss coming to Penn State. And they’re coming into South Bend as 8.5 to 9.5-point underdogs depending on the sportsbook. The Trojans have the second-ranked total offense in the country at 552.3 yards per game and are scoring 45.5 points per contest, but their defense has been inconsistent all season. If Chad Bowden’s insider knowledge helps D’Anton Lynn’s unit shut down CJ Carr and Notre Dame’s offense, it could completely derail the Irish’s season. ​

Fans’ fierce fury 

Irish fans aren’t holding back their feelings about Chad Bowden’s role in preparing USC’s defense for Saturday’s game. And you can’t really blame them for being angry. “Chad Bowden is literally the worst,” one Notre Dame fan wrote on social media. While another asked, “Who pissed in Chad Bowden’s Cheerios at ND, what a little rat.” The rat comparisons are flying everywhere, with fans dropping rodent emojis and calling him out for what they see as a clear betrayal of the program that gave him his shot at the big time. 

But what Bowden’s doing exists in this weird gray area that’s technically not against any rules but feels absolutely gross from a loyalty standpoint. Any general manager or coach who switches teams is going to bring their institutional knowledge with them. That’s just how the business works. You can’t exactly wipe someone’s memory clean when they change jobs.​

But from the fans’ perspective, there’s a difference between passively having knowledge and actively being ‘a big help’ to a rival’s defensive coordinator ahead of a must-win game for your former team. “Traitor,” one fan wrote, releasing his frustration. Yet another frustrated fan summed it up with, “What a slime ball Chad has turned out to be.. Wonder if he’ll be hired by a program once Riley regime ends in LA…” 

This move might get you paid, but could absolutely torch your reputation in coaching circles if it looks like you’re actively helping to sabotage your former employer.​ The counterargument, of course, is that Bowden went from making roughly $300,000 at Notre Dame to over $1 million annually at USC. That’s more than triple his salary. And you can’t fault someone for taking financial security for their family.