USC Trojans’ Chad Savage Leading Recruiting Efforts For 5-Star Tight End Mark Bowman

The USC Trojans have ramped up their pursuit of Mater Dei (Calif.) five-star tight end Mark Bowman this calendar year with new inside receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage leading the charge. Savage is thought of in high record by local coaches.

Nov 11, 2023; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado State Rams assistant coach - wide receivers Chad Savage talks to his team during the second quarter against the San Diego State Aztecs at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images / Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

After signing only five players from the state of the California in the 2025 cycle, the USC Trojans made major chances to the coaching staff and personnel department to ensure the program would be in a better position to recruit blue-chip prospects in their backyard. In 2026, California is filled with elite recruiting talent, including five-star tight end Mark Bowman out of Mater Dei.

New inside receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage has been recognized for his recruiting efforts in Southern California while at Colorado State. He was named the Mountain West’s Recruiter of the Year for three consecutive years by 247Sports.

Nov 11, 2023; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado State Rams assistant coach - wide receivers Chad Savage talks to his team during the second quarter against the San Diego State Aztecs at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images / Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

Local high school coaches in Southern California have spoken very highly of Savage, who has developed good relationships with recruits and coaches over the years. 

“Doubled down on relationships,” Savage said in February. “Do your due diligence, but you’ve got to give people the time of day. Because it doesn’t matter if it’s a small inner-city school, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Trinity League school.

“You’ve got to give people the time of day. You’ve got to reply to their texts and you’ve got to be honest with their evaluations because you never know, a lot of these kids might be four-stars, five-stars but some of the best players might be underrecruited kids.”

One player that has noticed a big difference in his recruitment since the arrival of Savage is (Calif.) five-star tight end Mark Bowman, the No. 1 ranked tight end and No. 16 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. 

Bowman is one of the most coveted prospects in the country, premier programs like Georgia and Texas are heavily involved in his recruitment, but the Trojans have made a strong push for the five-star prospect this calendar year. 

"Since he got hired, he made it his thing to make sure he recruits me the hardest out of anybody else,” Bowman told Rivals. 

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Bowman, who reclassified from the 2027 class to the 2026 class has been on college radars since he was in eighth grade but his contact with USC had been very limited before the staff changes.

A visit to campus on March 10 was an eye-opening experience for Bowman as he got an in-depth look at the program. He and his four-star defensive lineman teammate as well as USC commit Tomuhini Topui were the only recruits on campus and received an intimate visit. 

Bowman met with Lincoln Riley and discussed what his role in the offense would look like. General manager Chad Bowden took Bowman and his family to the Coliseum where they played the hype video on the board and lit the torch. 

Max Steinecker, who previously served as the general manager at Wisconsin before he was hired to be USC's executive director of personnel in February, has been heavily involved in the recruitment of Bowman. 

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bowman returned to USC for the Trojans Olympic event on April 26, which replaced their annual spring game. The event brought together current players, recruits and all of their families to the Coliseum. 

Several members of the Trojans staff, including Savage, cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed, defensive backs coach Doug Belk, linebackers coach Rob Ryan, and receivers coach Dennis Simmons made the trip down to Orange County earlier this month to visit a number of blue-chip prospects from the national powerhouse. Bowman will be back at USC on June 17 for his official visit. 

The Trojans already hold two commitments from Mater Dei in Topui and four-star EDGE Shaun Scott as they continue to restore their pipeline with one of the premier schools in Southern California. 

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