A key piece of Notre Dame’s support staff is reportedly following former Fighting Irish general manager Chad Bowden to USC. Notre Dame director of player personnel Zaire Turner is headed to Los Angeles for a similar job with the Trojans,

Turner has been a trailblazer in college football in her climb at Notre Dame and in Bowden's recruiting and personnel department. She was elevated to the Irish's DPP a year ago and has further proved invaluable the last month as Notre Dame advanced to its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff Championship game.

“Notre Dame is targeting Texas Tech’s James Blanchard for its new general manager position, sources tell me and @TomLoy247 for @CBSSports/@247Sports,” Matt Zenitz said in a post. “At Texas Tech, Blanchard has become of the nation’s most respected college front office figures.”

Bowden played a huge role in reshaping Notre Dame's approach to talent acquisition. Can he do the same at USC?

Already in previous years, Marcus Freeman has sought to lure away James Blanchard, widely considered one of the top collegiate personnel experts, away from Texas Tech to Freeman's Notre Dame program in South Bend, Ind.

Last July, amid overtures from USC, James Blanchard reportedly signed a two-year, $800,000 contract to remain at Texas Tech.

The Trojans find their general manager to lead their program of the future as the revenue-sharing era approaches, poaching a rising star from a longtime rival.

If it seems like Notre Dame is losing a lot of key pieces of its team as defensive coordinator al golden and key players like Pat Coogan depart, it’s also important to remember that the Irish raked in a lot of money from the deep playoff run and have intriguing transfers coming in.

Notre Dame signed just one player from California in its 2025 recruiting class, but it was heralded linebacker Madden Faraimo, who spurned nearby USC.