USC Trojans' Path to Success Relies on General Manager Handling NIL Effectively

The USC Trojans need to find the right fit as general manager for the football program to get back on track.

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. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It was not very long ago that the USC Trojans were among the best programs in college football, continually winning double-digit games in a season and being in the mix for major bowl games and national championships.

However, remaining in that tier consistently has been an issue.

Clay Helton won 22 games in his first two campaigns, including a Rose Bowl win and Cotton Bowl loss. In the next four seasons, they made a bowl game once, the Holiday Bowl, where they lost. The COVID-19 impacted campaign they only played six games as well.

He was replaced by Lincoln Riley, the former Oklahoma Sooners head coach who was expected to bring the program back to prominence after a 4-8 2021 season.

In Year 1, he hit the ground running as the team went 11-3 before being shockingly upset in the Cotton Bowl by the Tulane Green Wave. That loss was more of a sign of things to come than people realized, as the landscape of college football was changing.

NIL was becoming more prominent, as the Trojans were prepared for the early stages of things when they hired Dave Emerick to become general manager in 2022. 

Alas, the job they hired Emerick for only three years ago has changed dramatically. While the program acknowledges that the current structure no longer works, after two underwhelming seasons, implementing the necessary changes and finding the right people is easier said than done.

This is now a 24/7 job, as collegiate sports have their own version of free agency like the pros. Players are entering the transfer portal seeking as much money as possible with NIL deals, as stars can be on the move at a moment’s notice.

It just happened to USC, who believed their star offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon was staying put. He had assured them Southern California is where he wanted to be over the NFL, but he entered his name into the transfer portal.

“I don’t think any of us could have predicted, I guess, just how quickly it has changed, how fundamentally it has changed,” Lincoln Riley said Dec. 18, via Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times. “I think the whole college football world is trying to adapt right now, which is, honestly, I think for everybody a little difficult to keep up with.”

The search has begun for a new general manager to lead the program and widespread changes are expected. An NFL consultant was hired to help make suggestions on how the restructue should look.

While Riley won’t dictate who takes over as general manager, the relationship between the head coach and whoever is selected is imperative to the team finding success. Much like the NFL, those two have to work in tandem as the coaching seat is getting hot for Riley entering Year 4 at the helm.

Courtney Morgan, who is currently the general manager for the Alabama Crimson Tide, was pursued aggressively by the Trojans. He had experience working with USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen and knows the area well from growing up there.

But, despite a lucrative offer of reportedly $1 million, a $150,000 raise on what Morgan was earning at Alabama, he turned them down. The working relationship with Riley is one he didn’t believe would be as fruitful as it would be with Kalen DeBoer, as the two went to Tuscaloosa from Washington.

Can the Trojans find someone that has that kind of trust in Riley despite his job status being up in the air? With the landscape constantly changing, they have their work cut out for them, especially with so many programs in the Big Ten already being so far ahead in the NIL realm.