Reggie Bush Would 'Love' to Coach USC, Says He Spoke to Sacramento St. About Job

Reggie Bush is the newest retired NFL player to express an interest in entering the coaching ranks and expressed a desire to work at his alma mater one day.

"I would love to come back and be the head coach of USC at some point and help lead USC to a national championship," he said to the Sporting Tribune's Arash Markazi. "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."

In terms of his coaching ambitions, Bush said he reached out directly to Sacramento State before they hired Brennan Marion.

The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner pointed to Kirby Smart, a Georgia alum, leading the Bulldogs to titles in 2021 and 2022 as his dream scenario at USC.

Of course, it's worth noting how Smart worked his way up the ladder. His full-time coaching career began in 2000 and it wasn't until 2016 that he got his first opportunity to become a head coach. He was also Alabama's defensive coordinator under Nick Saban from 2008-15 prior to leaving for Georgia.

But the success of Deion Sanders at Jackson State and Colorado has emboldened former players to believe they can make a relatively seamless transition to coaching. Schools are increasingly willing to provide that opportunity, too.

Norfolk State just hired Michael Vick, while Delaware State tabbed DeSean Jackson as its next head coach. Eddie George wrapped up his fourth season at Tennessee State. Terrell Buckley's coaching career goes back even further to 2007, and he's finally getting his first college head-coaching gig at Mississippi Valley State.

There's no question Bush's legendary playing career at USC would help him get his foot in the door at a lot of big schools, Southern Cal probably included, though he does have an active lawsuit against the school and others over retrospective NIL money.

The 39-year-old will have to pay his dues, though, in order to reach the kind of level he's aspiring toward.