Lincoln Riley & Co. reportedly expected to hire Illinois director of player personnel for 2025 season

Lincoln Riley and USC have regressed over the past two years, sliding to 7-6 this season — their first in the Big Ten — after Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams moved to the NFL. The Trojans are aiming to join their foes up north, Oregon, as one of the elite programs in the conference.

Doing so will take some improvement, and Riley began doing what's necessary to achieve that by bringing in some recruiting help.

"USC is expected to hire Illinois director of player personnel Dre Brown, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports," national college football reporter Matt Zenitz wrote on Thursday on X/Twitter.

"Before Illinois, Brown spent three seasons working at Notre Dame, including as the team's director of recruiting. At Notre Dame, he worked with new USC GM Chad Bowen."

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Why did Lincoln Riley and USC add Dre Brown to the fold?

Dre Brown spent just one season with Illinois, where he played running back from 2015-19. With the Fighting Illini, he was the program's director of player personnel this season. He was previously Notre Dame's director of recruiting.

With Brown in charge, Illinois tied its single-season wins record (10). The team was included in the College Football Playoff rankings for a Fighting Illini-record four consecutive releases. They had four ranked wins as well, including a 21-17 win over No. 14 South Carolina in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

Brown boosted Illinios to the No. 45-ranked high school recruiting class this cycle. He helped the Fighting Illini pick up six early 2026 commitments.

Dre Brown rushed for 902 yards and seven scores during his playing career in Champaign. During his final go-round suiting up for Illinois, he rumbled for 584 yards and five touchdowns. He also brought back kicks for the Fighting Illini, ranking fifth in the Big Ten with a 25.3-yard kick return average in 2019. He led the team in all-purpose yards (1,299) that same year.

Brown began his recruiting odyssey at Tennessee, where he was a recruiting coordinator. He was brought on as the Fighting Irish's offensive recruiting coordinator in 2021, was moved to a defensive analyst position in 2022 and dealt mainly with high school recruiting in 2023.

Lincoln Riley should expect a good deal of help in recruiting with Brown's arrival in Los Angeles. Brown was a key part in the Fighting Irish netting three consecutive top-12 recruiting classes from 2021-23.

USC's Class of 2025 signees included quarterback Husan Longstreet, rated a five-star by 247 Sports. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans also added defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, who was listed as the No. 2 player in Louisiana.

Lincoln Riley and the Trojans are putting an emphasis on recruiting, having added former Notre Dame director of player personnel Zaire Turner on Wednesday.