Mark Bowman’s commitment to USC last week wasn’t just a splash. It was the 27th cannonball into what’s becoming the deepest recruiting pool. The five-star tight end headlines a 2026 class that’s already shaping up to be one for the record books, and it’s only June. The USC Trojans aren’t just rolling; they’re steamrolling. No program in the country is even close right now. After years of flirting with elite recruiting status, USC has finally broken through to a different level—and it didn’t happen by accident. Something changed. Something fundamental.
The Trojans have always had glitz. The Coliseum, the SoCal sun, the Hollywood lights. But they haven’t always had the machinery behind the scenes to convert all that flash into sustained recruiting dominance. That changed this offseason. The NIL wave delivered a jolt to USC’s football bloodstream.
But NIL alone doesn’t explain the surge. J.D. PicKell posed a key question on The Hard Count show: “What changed with USC on the NIL front?” And according to Steve Wiltfong, “The investment in the program, the infrastructure, the organization—obviously USC hired Chad Bowden from Notre Dame this offseason, and Chad was an integral part in helping Notre Dame build its team into one that competed and played in the national title game this past fall.”
Chad Bowden wasn’t the only addition turning gears behind the curtain. “Dave Emerick was key in their front office, for lack of better words, where he came over there with Lincoln Riley and got things off and running,” Wiltfong added. With almost 26 years in college football, Emerick is now USC’s Senior Associate Athletic Director.
“I think Coach Riley’s done a good job of exciting the people around the program and building that up and getting people to invest. They’re building new facilities. And look, we can sit here and talk about NIL—and obviously I think that’s what, in the end, why they’re winning a lot of these recruiting battles—but you don’t get to start the race if you don’t have good things to sell on the football field,” Wiltfong said. Last but not least, they have—“Coach Riley’s track record, three college football playoffs, Heisman Trophy winners, great offense.”
The Trojans suddenly have it all—money, momentum, and now, muscle in the trenches. Keenyi Pepe, the four-star OT from IMG Academy, is another crown jewel of this loaded class. The MaxPreps Freshman All-American didn’t just play for a top-five national program—he stood out on one. That’s the kind of talent USC is stacking right now. There’s a swagger back in Heritage Hall. And the man orchestrating it, Lincoln Riley, can feel the shift.
NCAA Football: Southern California Press Conference LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Southern California Trojans coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media at Heritage Hallon December 20, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
“Every step right now feels good,” Riley said. “You feel the progress within the walls right now, the ability to be able to go out. The progress has put us back in a position where we feel like we can have an opportunity to bring in the very best into our program, whether it’s staff members, whether it’s recruits.” And the hiring of DC D’Anton Lynn only makes it easier for elite talent.
But he knows they’re not there yet. “I don’t know if comfortable is the right word,” Riley admitted. He understands that winning in recruiting is one thing; winning in games is another beast entirely. Still, the building blocks are in place. This program isn’t catching lightning in a bottle. It’s engineering it.
The other jackpot? With Judge Claudia Wilken’s landmark June 6 ruling, clearing the way for direct athlete compensation, the NIL era just kicked into a new gear. USC wasted no time responding with a clear signal that they’re ready to compete at the highest level.
Lincoln Riley’s riches
Lincoln Riley just hit another jackpot—but this one isn’t about touchdowns or trophies. It’s about dollars and direction.
With the final approval of the House settlement, schools now have the green light to pay athletes, with an annual cap starting at $20.5 million per school in 2025-2026. And guess who wasted zero time jumping into this brave new world? Yup, the USC Trojans. They fired off a bold statement soon after the decision:
“Since the preliminary approval of the House settlement in Fall 2024, USC Athletics leadership has worked diligently to develop a road map to ensure we win the new era of college athletics. With today’s final approval of the settlement, we are ready to invest even more in our student-athletes to the maximum allowable levels, and we look forward to what comes next.” USC’s not just embracing the future—they’re sprinting toward it with checkbooks wide open.
Under the new plan, football gets 75% of the pot (which is $15 million), men’s basketball 15%, women’s basketball 5%, and the rest of the sports share the final 5%. And let’s be real—many big-name schools might bump football’s slice closer to 90%. By the way? USC holds the No. 1 recruiting class for 2026… and they’re just getting warmed up.
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