Key USC recruiting staffer Zaire Turner departs for SMU
USC football’s front office has a huge hole to fill moving forward with the departure of assistant athletic director of recruiting operations Zaire Turner to SMU on Friday. Yahoo Sports John Brice first reported the news.
Turner, a Texas native, will serve as SMU’s senior director of recruiting under head coach Rhett Lashlee. Turner arrived in 2025, following newly hired general manager Chad Bowden from Notre Dame. She served at the program’s director of player personnel. At the time she was just the second female ever to hold a DPP position in college football.
Turner saw her role expand much more during her USC stint with Bowden.
“Dealing with the budget at Notre Dame was fine, but at USC, I think getting involved in those conversations in different rooms with administration, various departments with Chad [Bowden] and Dre Brown was a great experience and chance to learn more about their impact on the football program and other sports and departments,” turner told Turner told Yahoo Sports’ John Brice. “Coach (Lincoln) Riley helped empower me and cares so deeply about the players and program. It was great to see a little bit of everything and how comes together.”
Turner also had stops at Virginia Tech and Texas Tech prior to Notre Dame. She was instrumental in USC’s efforts in landing the No. 1 recruiting class this past recruiting cycle.
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Key Roles
When Chad Bowden was first hired at USC, he provided heavy praise on Zaire Turner as a key part of the emerging front office.
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“She’s her own animal. It was like that at Notre Dame too. I didn’t even put her in that group,” said Bowden at the time. “She’s in her own category for what she does and what she brings to the table. She likes it like that too. That’s how she likes to work and she’s fantastic.”
Turner was involved in several aspects of the USC program throughout her time.
“She does admissions. She’ll be the one that helps with the process of kids coming onto campus,” said Bowden. “She’ll help with that, admissions. She does the day-to-day with transcripts. She’ll oversee budget. There are some things from a budget standpoint that we want to enhance, and we’re going to do that.”
Turner is the first major departure from Bowden’s front office, which still retains a strong foundation with assistant general manager Dre Brown, Executive Director of Player Personnel Max Stienecker, Director of Recruiting Weston Zernechel and Director of High School Recruiting Relations Aaron Amaama.
USC football currently boasts the No. 4 recruiting class in 2027.
