Reggie Bush Gives Long Answer on NIL, Transfer Portal in College Football

Reggie Bush had a lot to say about the current college landscape regarding NIL and the portal.

Dec 31, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans former running back Reggie Bush (left) poses with former Tournament of Roses president Alex Aghajanian during the Rose Bowl Hall fo Fame Induction Ceremony at University Club, / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NIL and the transfer portal have changed college sports.

While the impact is largely felt in college basketball and football, all other sports feel the changes, too.

There was once a time, even a short bit ago, when players couldn't get paid. Student-athletes also had to sit a year if they transferred schools. There have been some good changes, but not everyone is a fan of everything that has happened.

Reggie Bush, one of the best college football players of all time, knows that better than anyone.

He had his Heisman Trophy taken away from him after an investigation found he and his family took improper benefits while he was a student-athlete.

Bush was eventually given his Heisman back, but that didn't stop him from talking about the madness going on in college sports.

“The top one percent in college football is making money. That’s it. It’s usually a quarterback or someone like Travis Hunter. Other than that, everybody else is still working to get there, to get to that next level. To get some kind of money ... I think at some point the players need to unionize so they can collectively bargain. And so they can start to get into a more fair workplace for everybody," Bush said, according to Ryan Clarke of OregonLive.com.

Bush has a fair point, however, it's logical that certain athletes get more than others.

Someone like Travis Hunter is more markatable than a backup running back in a mid-major conference.

Companies want to work with athletes who will sell their brands, so if businesses don't profit off their deals, players wouldn't get them anymore.

For both sides, this is all about money, whether that's right or wrong.

Bush also spoke about the portal, highlighting that not every athlete accomplishes the same as others. The portal allows kids to attend new schools, but many forget the non-success stories.

There are plenty of those, too, and Bush wants to acknowledge that.

“When you talk about the transfer portal, you hear about the great stories,” he said. “But you don’t hear about the other side of kids who go in the transfer portal and don’t make it out, or kids who go in the transfer portal thinking they’re going to a better situation, but that situation doesn’t end up being there for him. You’re having to make really, really big decisions as an 18- and 19-year-old kid, and these are decisions that can affect the rest of your life and your career.”

All in all, the former legend understands what's going on, an awesome thing to see after his situation.