With the infusion of NIL into college athletics, it’s widened the discrepancy between a lot of Power Four programs and Group of Five teams struggling to keep up with the times.
The Tulane Green Wave have separated themselves as one of the better G5 programs in the nation, but that didn’t stop them from being robbed of their top starters from the 2024 season in the transfer portal.
Much of the attention to former Green Wave players centered on the team’s win against the Duke Blue Devils led by Darian Mensah. But for almost every other player that departed last season’s roster, they haven’t seen the field in the way Mensah has.
One of the most surprising developments this season is the trajectory of former Tulane running back Makhi Hughes with the Oregon Ducks. Ducks head coach Dan Lanning announced on Wednesday that Hughes had requested to redshirt this season, and that they plan to honor that.
It’s a shocking fall for the All-American back earning honors in back-to-back years for the Green Wave, as Hughes ran for 1,401 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in 2024 on 265 carries. It matched a similar output on 258 carries the season prior.
However, through four games with Oregon, Hughes only received 17 carries and ran for a total of 70 yards. When it was announced last Saturday that Hughes didn’t travel with the team to play No. 3 Penn State, it was a curious update that hinted towards a possible redshirt.
It’s unfortunate, and it shows the risks of electing to choose a higher NIL payday in the short term over a career in the NFL in the long-term potentially.
Hughes showed he could carry a considerable workload and brought Tulane to several wins through his performances. That translates to what an NFL running back would be asked to do as an every-down back.
But with a deal alleged to be up to $700k, that’s easier said than done to turn down, especially knowing that not only is the NFL not guaranteed, but it’s one of the biggest statistical longshots. It’s worth mentioning as well that Hughes’ brother is at Oregon and played a major factor in that decision.
It just clearly wasn’t the right decision for Hughes. That’s going to happen more often than not as productive players are swooned in the portal by higher pay days and big program lights. Hughes is just one of the more unexpected examples.