Legendary running back and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush is the latest former athlete that wants to head into the coaching profession.

Just recently, sports writer Arash Markazi from The Sports Tribune caught up with Bush to ask what the 39-year-old college football and Super Bowl winning star has been up to. Bush mentioned how his age is quite similar to Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, and how he has dreams of leading his former Alma Mater, USC, as its future head coach.

I would love to come back and be the head coach of USC at some point and help lead USC to a national championship. Lately, man, I’ve just been really having this urge inside of me to get out and coach because it’s in me. And it’s been something I’ve been thinking about a lot and actually talking to people about.

While this may seem like a fever dream for many fans, Bush isn’t just talking the talk. In order to become a head football coach, or even an assistant, an individual needs to interview and get their foot in the door with an organization. Bush decided to interview with Sacramento State this offseason and discussed how this move is something he wants to do.

I actually spoke to some people over at Sacramento State for the head coaching job when that came up. I spoke to some people over there about coaching and it’s definitely something that I want to do. The same way Kirby Smart, a former player from Georgia, came back to coach his team to a title, I would love to do that as well at USC. I think that’d be a tremendous story, a tremendous comeback story. I think I have what it takes. I got the passion. And a lot of these kids grew up watching our era and watching our teams.

Ultimately, Bush was declined the job due to the hiring of Brennan Marion, a highly sought after offensive-minded coach with a strong track record. I wrote about Marion last year and how he could be a top candidate to join an NFL franchise sooner rather than later. Marion’s hire is truly a better choice due to his experience over Bush; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Bush won’t be a future head coach one day as he does have knowledge and leadership qualities.

Bush’s interest in coaching college football while being a former athlete with little experience is adding to a growing list. This offseason, former Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was named as the head coach of Norfolk State. Vick only had two seasons coaching football and that was as an intern in 2017 for the Kansas City Chiefs under head coach Andy Reid and also as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends, a football league that filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2019. Other than that, Vick has little to no experience but is now a college head coach.

One of the more successful former players turned coaches in recent memory is that of College Football Hall of Fame running back Eddie George. After little to no coaching, George was hired in 2021 at Tennessee State and has compiled a 24-22 record and was named the Big South-OVC Coach of the Year in 2024. George’s impressive rise despite little coaching, has paved the way for Bush and other athletes to get into the profession.

It is unclear if Bush will succeed as a head coach, as what a player accomplished in his time as a player has no effect on the team’s success. But one thing is for certain – if he wants to be a head coach one day, especially at his Alma Mater USC, it will be smart for Bush to inquire about being an assistant and work his way up the ladder. That is the best way to go about things and to truly build his coaching resume. We all know what he did as a player in college and the NFL, now we need to see if he can translate his knowledge to young athletes and in the football coaching scene.