Fact or Fiction: Reggie Bush's statements are hypocritical
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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1. Reggie Bush’s statements about college athlete endorsements is hypocritical.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Reggie Bush recently did an interview with Playboy where he pretty much said endorsement deals for college athletes could ruin them. This coming from a guy who almost took down the USC program for accepting inappropriate gifts and funds from a booster who many felt was tied to the Trojans. So let me get this straight: It’s OK for Bush and his family to take gifts and money, but it’s not OK for kids who are being granted permission from the NCAA? Maybe keep it quiet on this topic, Reggie.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. While I believe athletes should be able to get paid for their name, image and likeness as a start to equity in college sports, I didn’t take Bush’s comments as hypocritical. He was saying that if the right foundation is not there for athletes who are about to get paid, then there could be some unforeseen deleterious consequences. He’s right. Building off their value is going to be important, instead of athletes believing they made it big after their first check. But it should be completely up to every athlete to make their own choices and live with them. Bush made his and I’m sure he regrets some of them, so his comments were coming from a place of knowing this situation better than some and understanding the consequences of his action – or inaction.
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2. LB Junior Colson is key to Michigan’s Southeast recruiting.
Farrell’s take: FACT. I’ve been harping on this for awhile. Michigan needs to follow the Ohio State blueprint for success and hit the Southeast hard. And Colson is a nice get from Tennessee that others in the Southeast will notice. The Wolverines still have a long way to go, and recruiting the SEC region is as hard as ever with teams like Tennessee, Florida and others stepping up their game, but this is one that will be noticed.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Colson’s commitment to Michigan was a big deal because the Wolverines beat out a bunch of SEC schools for a Rivals100 four-star linebacker, but I seriously doubt Colson is the key to Michigan unlocking more success in the Southeast. Colson is the first top 10 player from the state of Tennessee to pick Michigan since Blake Bars in the 2012 class, so the Wolverines haven’t made significant in-roads in that state. They’ve done better in other areas of the Southeast, but even more focus needs to be put in that region for Michigan to become a national contender again.
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3. Oregon develops the best offensive linemen in college football these days.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Oregon does a great job and when Penei Sewell becomes a top five pick next year it will push the Ducks up in the rankings, but to me the best program for developing offensive linemen over the last few years remains Alabama. Many programs will argue, and Oklahoma, Iowa, Wisconsin all do a great job. But Bama continues to put out first-rounders in every draft, and Alex Leatherwood will be the next. There is a lot of chatter in the West about what Mario Cristobal does with linemen, and rightfully so, but his old school is still doing the best job.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Oregon has done a great job developing offensive linemen and Sewell might have been the first one taken if he was allowed to come out this past season. But while the Ducks are good, they’re not the best. Alabama is definitely in that conversation, but LSU and Georgia should be as well. Iowa and Wisconsin continue to churn out top talent. A team that is overlooked is Notre Dame, especially with Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey and others recently. There are a long list of outstanding programs that develop offensive linemen. Oregon is in the conversation, but it's not at the top for me.