FootballScoop names Notre Dame GM Chad Bowden its Player Personnel Director of the Year
Notre Dame football’s general manager has been recognized by his colleagues for constructing one of the top rosters in college football this season. FootballScoop announced Chad Bowden as its Player Personnel Director of the Year on Monday. Prior winners voted Bowden as this year’s award winner.
Bowden is in his fourth season with the Fighting Irish, first as the program’s general manager. He previously served as director of recruiting during the 2022 and 2023 seasons before earning a promotion to assistant athletic director for player personnel in March. Over the summer, his title was changed to general manager.
“Chad is elite at what he does,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman told reporters in the spring. “The opportunity for him to lead our entire personnel staff is, to me, something that is earned. He’s earned that right and is doing a great job. He does such a good job at what he does. That’s not just connecting with recruits but planning, leading a group of people and evaluations.
Bowden has been a linchpin to Notre Dame football’s success on the recruiting trail and transfer portal. He has been the program’s architect, achieving three top-11 recruiting classes from 2022-2024, a mark the Irish had not attained since 2006-08. During those three years, Notre Dame landed the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 4 classes, respectively.
Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class ranks No. 12 in the 2025 Industry Ranking Football Team Recruiting Rankings. Its team ranking will be finalized once the four primary recruiting services release their final prospect rankings later this winter.
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Last offseason, Bowden spearheaded the team’s presence in the transfer portal, helping build the No. 15 class in the 2024 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. His acquisitions have been pivotal in the Irish reaching the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Bowden is off to another hot start in this year’s transfer portal cycle, adding Alabama defensive back Devonta Smith, Virginia wide receiver Malachi Fields, Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling and Arkansas tight end Ty Washington. That class currently ranks No. 20, with other additions in the works.
Notre Dame is also pacing well in the 2026 high school recruiting cycle. The Irish currently rank No. 11 in the team rankings.
Freeman named Bowden the program’s director of recruiting in February 2022. Bowden previously served as the program’s defensive director of recruiting for one season. Freeman brought Bowden from the University of Cincinnati after accepting Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator position in 2021.
