USC Trojans General Manager Chad Bowden Using Pete Carroll’s Recruiting Strategy

Former USC Trojans coach Pete Carroll owned the state of California when it came to recruiting during his tenure in the 2000s. So much so other programs didn’t bother coming into the Trojans backyard because of the fence Carroll had built.

The blueprint led to a modern-day dynasty that saw the Trojans win two national championships, four Rose Bowls and set a record with seven consecutive seasons with at least 11 wins from 2002-2008. Three players won college football’s most prestigious award, the Heisman Trophy in a four year stretch, Carson Palmer in 2002, Matt Leinart in 2004 and Reggie Bush in 2005 — all three of which are from California.

USC was able to follow the same formula under Lane Kiffin in the early 2010s and even more so under Steve Sarkisian in the mid 2010s, two coaches that spent time on Carroll’s staff during the Trojans' dominant run. That strategy began to fade under Clay Helton in the late 2010s and then completely fell off under Lincoln Riley over the past four recruiting cycles.

The Trojans have struggled in recent years to keep other programs from poaching the state’s top talent. In the 2025 cycle, of the top 25 recruits in California according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Alabama signed four, including three of the top five. Oregon signed four and Texas A&M signed three, the same number as USC.

New general manager Chad Bowden now leads the Trojans recruiting efforts and is working to follow the template that was put in place by Carroll to bring USC football back to national prominence.

“We’re going to do everything through the city,” Bowden said. “We’re going to do everything through the state. That’s going to be our primary focus. Now, it doesn’t mean we’re not going to dip into other states because you have to. We’ve done a lot of research. I do a lot of research every place I’ve been. Something that we’ve found is back when national championships were won here, when Rose Bowls were won here, you look at Pete Carroll’s classes - 02, 03, 04 - over 80 percent of recruiting classes were from the state of California.

“History repeats itself. It always does, and if you look into fine details of how programs are built and how the place is built and when success has happened, that was a key part of USC being at the top. My plan and my vision is to bring that back and to take care of this state. The state deserves it.”

USC is off to a great start in the 2026 cycle, holding 11 commitments, including three from blue-chip prospects in California, Rancho Cucamonga four-star cornerback RJ Sermons, Loyola four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart and Santa Margarita four-star edge Simote Katoanga. Seven of the Trojans 11 commitments are from California, they signed only five in the 2025 cycle.

Lockhart has been committed to USC since his sophomore year. The Los Angeles native has been actively recruiting top prospects to join him in what is shaping up to be a program-altering class for the Trojans. Lockhart competed at the Rivals Camp Series this past weekend and delivered a message, “the best in Cali, play in Cali.”

A big step in the Trojans owning the state of California in recruiting is landing blue-chip prospects from premier high schools in their backyard like Mater Dei. The national powerhouse was once a pipeline for USC, but Riley has failed to sign a player from Mater Dei since the 2022 cycle. USC has their eyes set on a number of recruits from the No. 1 ranked high school team, including four-star tight end Mark Bowman, four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and four-star linebacker Shaun Scott.

MORE: USC Trojans Pushing for Elite Defensive Recruits to Secure No. 1-Ranked Class

MORE: USC Trojans' Woody Marks Meets With Washington Commanders Before NFL Combine Workout

MORE: Kobe Bryant's Nephew Jett Washington Names USC Trojans Football Recruiting Finalist

USC will continue to push to flip five-star receiver Chris Henry Jr. from Ohio State, as well as four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui, committed to Oregon. Dixon-Wyatt, Bowman and Henry Jr. were in attendance for the Trojans' Junior Day event last month and have scheduled official visits with USC in June. Topui was also on campus for Junior Day.

High on the Trojans priority list from the state of California include Mount Miguel five-star cornerback Brandon Arrington, Folsom five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons and Sierra Canyon five-star cornerback Havon Finney.

"I think the ‘26 class is the best class California has had in two decades,” Bowden said.

Arrington has locked in an official visit with USC over the summer. Lyons, the younger brother of Trojans tight end Walker Lyons has yet to schedule his official visit but the highly coveted signal-caller wore a USC towel while he competed in the Rivals Camp Series on Sunday.

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Finney reclassified from the 2027 to 2026 class over the weekend, so his recruitment is about to start speeding up in the spring. The Trojans currently have four players on the roster that came out of Sierra Canyon, safeties Kamari Ramsey and Marquis Gallegos, receiver Xavier Jordan and cornerback DJ Harvey. And two commits in the 2026 cycle, three-star athlete Madden Riordan and three-star receiver Ja’Myron Baker.

Other notable names the Trojans are pushing for from state of California, include Santa Margarita four-star receiver Trent Mosely, Oaks Christian four-star cornerback Davon Benjamin and four-star running Deshonne Redeaux, Orange Lutheran four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili and four-star interior offensive lineman Samuel Utu, Folsom four-star offensive tackle Vlad Dyakonov and Mission Viejo four-star receiver and Georgia commit Vance Spafford.

USC has been gearing up to go all-in to keep elite talent from leaving the state. From putting the right front office in place lead by Bowden to adding valuable members to the coaching staff like Chad Savage and Trovon Reed, who have strong reputations as recruiters and being able to relate with student-athletes.

The Trojans have been behind the eight-ball when it comes to NIL in years past, but that is exactly what Bowden is making it, a thing of the past.

“We’re as aggressive as anyone,” Bowden said. “We might even be the most aggressive. Our aspirations for what we’re going to do in NIL are as high as anyone in the country and I hope people know it.”

Recommended Articles