Pushing for USC program greatness personally means a lot to GM Chad Bowden

Part of what separates USC, and what will allow the Trojans to be in serious national championship contention, is the staff's ability to develop players. Some programs emphasize simply accumulating talent and take more of a microwave approach to their football team.

The emphasis with coach Lincoln Riley is to recruit local high school talent and improve on their skill set through their entirety at USC. Naturally, there isn't any aspect that is a one-size-fits-all approach in this sport. That is, however, the pillar of Troy, as it were.

A lot of this is a credit to GM Chad Bowden. Since arriving from Notre Dame, he's hit all of his moves out of the park. With a strong drive and constant push to help the program in any way that's needed, he shared what being in his current role means while speaking with On3's J.D. PicKell.

Passion is something that can be easily detected when authentic. Taking the time to discuss on The Hard Count, Bowden shared what is fueling his daily approach:

"This is the greatest opportunity of my entire life, to be the general manager at USC. This is my dream job... I want it so bad for this city. I want it so bad for this university."

Most people in their respective positions will say something similar across the nation. As Bowden would go on to mention, it goes well beyond lip service at USC. Part of running a top brand in college football requires media appearances and highlighting the best aspect of what a program has to offer.

Clear signs of continued progress at USC

Living up to the statements is where a lot of people fall short once the cameras turn off. As evidenced by the string of recruiting commits in this year's class and the next, this Trojan staff is also walking the walk. Players will leave for any number of reasons. An individual departure isn't necessarily a reflection on the building's culture.

To see the amount of buy-in from the current corps and genuine excitement from the future Trojans-to-be, it's clear that Bowden and co. are well on their way to achieving their stated goal of bringing USC back to where it should be, an unquestioned top football power in the nation that competes for an NCAA title.