USC steals Notre Dame GM Chad Bowden with a multiyear deal worth around $1,000,000: Report

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have lost a part of their front office days after they played in the national championship game. It was announced on Friday that the USC Trojans landed the services of general manager Chad Bowden.

According to sources of Front Office Sports, his salary is reportedly worth $1 million per season. It is reportedly a multi-year deal and the report claims the salary was tripled to what Fighting Irish were paying him.

"We are very excited to welcome Chad Bowden to our staff. His outstanding body of work in recruiting and roster management is recognized throughout the country," Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said.

"With the support of Jen Cohen and the administration, Chad’s hire is both vital to the future of our program and sends a strong message about the direction of USC Football. We’re excited for him to arrive and hit the ground running.”

Bowden, alongside current coach Marcus Freeman, joined the Fighting Irish in 2021. He previously worked as a defense recruitment analyst. He'd then work his way up the ranks to become general manager.

Bowden was considered for a move to the Michigan Wolverines following their successful 2023 season but chose to remain in South Bend. However, after the season that the Fighting Irish has had in 2024, Bowden has decided to move on.

Chad Bowden's salary reflects the importance of the General Manager

The salary that Chad Bowden (reported to be $1 million) is set to earn with the Trojans reflects the ever-growing importance of the GM role in college football and college basketball programs.

These roles have become important in the last few years due to the impact of the NIL. This has been summed up by college sports writer Dan Wetzel, who said (via Front Row Sports):

“The idea of a coach handling all of the responsibilities was always outdated. With transfer portal and NIL you have a salary cap issue and constant movement of players. You used to sign 25 kids and those were basically your kids for the next 4-5 years.

"Now you’re not just watching high school players—you’re watching other college teams. There’s way more volume and complexity.”

In today's college sports programs, which are run similarly to their professional counterparts, the coach cannot do everything. They need someone to handle the financial side of things, such as a GM, so that the coach can focus on the players and how to get the most out of them.