The transfer portal not only hurts coaches. Sometimes it even gets the players who are seeking better opportunities. The portal is a serious check on a player’s loyalty, especially if they emerge as stars. A classic case of this transpired in 2024 when Ashton Jeanty did not go for the portal, and instead stuck it out at the G5 level with Boise. But Makhi Hughes made the leap to Oregon, for a huge paycheck. That one decision changed the trajectory of their lives.

Hughes transferred to Oregon in the offseason for an NIL deal supposedly worth $700,000. It’s a number too good to pass on, and the opportunity to play for a P4 team was hard to put down. But the story hasn’t gone according to script. Instead, Hughes will be redshirting for the rest of the season after his surprising drop in the depth chart. He was once touted to be a leader in the rushing attack, but Lanning has instead assigned that job to freshman Dierre Hill Jr. Meanwhile Hughes is languishing at No. 4 in the chart, despite hauling in a whopping 2,779 rushing yards during his two years at Tulane.

Ashton Jeanty’s situational counterpart.

One stayed at his G5 school, went #6 overall and signed a $35.9 million contract

The other transferred from his G5 school to a P4 for $700k in NIL, and ended up as RB4 on the depth chart.

The grass isn’t always greener https://t.co/8c881kGhY3

— WILL (@willmbetts) October 3, 2025

Hughes was the one of the best RBs in the portal when he entered the transfer portal. It was a big win for Oregon to get him at the time as they needed to replace leading rusher Jordan James after the 2024 season. But he failed to impress coaches, which kept him from being on the field. He was not even part of the team that travelled to Penn State. At Oregon, Hughes has hauled in only 70 yards in 17 carries, and zero TDs. While at Tulane, he used to be in the same league as Jeanty and North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton with his production. That’s how elite Hughes can be.

In 2023, Ashton Jeanty was the leading rusher in the Mountain West, with 1,347 yards on the board. Makhi Hughes had actually rushed more than the star RB, pitching in 1,378 yards. But Jeanty stayed loyal to Boise State. “I told those (schools), ‘You guys overlooked me three years ago. Now you want me?’” he told USA Today, during his last season as a Bronco. Schools definitely lined up for Jeanty, with an offer rumored to be reaching 1 million even.

But he didn’t choose that. Instead Jeanty stayed at Boise, and became a reason for the Broncos’ success in 2024. They were the only G5 squad to make the playoffs. His loyalty paid off as he is currently earning a nice paycheck at Las Vegas. If that’s the trajectory a G5 RB is having, imagine what Makhi Hughes is missing out on.

Oregon decision affected Makhi Hughes’ draft hopes

Ashton Jeanty was a surefire top-round pick, that much we knew. And experts were proven right when he went to Raiders at No. 6. In his first season in the NFL, Jeanty is already hurtling past everyone in the rushing leaderboards with 242 carries. A career like this came to Jeanty because of his success with Boise State. Makhi Hughes took a step in the right decision after being unsuccessful in Oregon. Because Hughes could also be in the NFL if it all worked out for him at Eugene.

Hughes’ Tulane numbers were enough to project him as a Day 2 pick, per The Sporting News. This year, his drop in performance was never going to put him ahead of the P4 star RBs. Nobody gets past Nic Singleton and Kaytron Allen. And then there’s Jeremiyah Love, Justice Haynes and Darius Taylor. Had Hughes not redshirted, he was either going as a Day 3 pick, or he could even slip into the UDFA category. It would’ve been a disappointing turn of events for Hughes, when his production was once on par with one of the NFL’s best rookies this year.

Hughes’ story is a cautionary tale on the risks of choosing between NIL dollars and staying loyal to the program that chose to recruit you. For Jeanty, the loyalty paid off as he has signed a $35.9 million contract in the pros. But for Hughes, that NIL deal came at a heavy cost.