USC Trojans To Hire New General Manager From NFL? Expected Timeline

The USC Trojans are close to hiring a new general manager to help USC navigate Name, Image, Likeness (NIL), recruiting and the transfer portal. NFL and college experience are qualities USC is looking for. The Trojans and coach Lincoln Riley are also looking to restructure their organizational structure.

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

When USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley came aboard in the Fall of 2022, one of the first hires he made as head of the USC Trojans football program was bringing on a general manager. Riley made the decision to hire Dave Emerick away from Mississippi State as GM. Emerick and Riley have history together dating back to their time working under legendary coach Mike Leach.

Emerick's official title is Senior Associate Athletic Director for Football / General Manager, but as the role of general manager evolves, the need for a new general manager grows for the Trojans, apart from what Emerick's duties entail.

USC is planning to hire a GM for its football program in “the coming weeks”, I’m told.

The hire at USC has been a long time in the making, w/ a pool of candidates that had a wide array of experience, from college to NFL front offices https://t.co/8yfbnt1qrl

— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) January 6, 2025

According to a report from Ryan Kartje of the LA Times, USC is on the verge of hiring another general manager, separate from Emerick and his job. Along with bringing in a new member of the front office, the Trojans are looking to completely reshape the structure of the organization.

One of the most important things Kartje found in his report is that Riley, who has had the ultimate say-so in personnel decisions throughout his tenure at USC, will not have the final decision in hiring the general manager. That will ultimately fall on the shoulders of USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen to make the hire.

USC's candidate pool ranged from those with college experience to those with NFL front office experience. The Trojans have been looking for a general manager since before the season started, so it is ideal that the program hires the right person for the job, thus why the search has extended well into the new year.

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Dec 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans president Carol Folt (left) and athletic director Jennifer Cohen attend a basketball game between the Southern California Trojans and the Oregon Ducks at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesDec 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans were seeking out Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan prior to the start of the season in August and was offered a million dollar salary to try and be lured away from the Crimson Tide, but it was to no avail as Morgan decided to stay with Alabama.

According to CBS Sports, who first reported the news, Morgan was so dissuaded with the Trojans and their offer, that he took a paycut to stay with Alabama and his head coach Kalen DeBoer. Morgan and DeBoer worked together with each other back at their previous stop at Washington and Morgan followed DeBoer to Alabama when the latter was poached away from the Huskies.

After USC swung and missed out on Morgan, the search for a new general manager took a backseat throughout the season as the Trojans focused on the season and didn't want the distractions of a midseason hire at such a key position.

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