Washington basketball lands historic $2 million star in transfer portal

The NIL (name, image and likeness) policy in college sports continues to make college athletes lots of dough. Count new Washington basketball transfer acquisition Great Osobor among those blessed to be in a position to secure massive NIL deals, with ESPN's Jonathan Givony reporting that the former Utah State Aggies star is set to earn $2 million off of such transactions.

“BREAKING: Great Osobor, the top-available player in the transfer portal, has committed to Washington, George Langberg of GSL Sports Group told ESPN. Osobor will be the highest-paid known player in college basketball, with 2 million dollars of NIL deals already in place.”

Among the NIL deals on the table for Osobor comes from the field of marketing assurances, as transacted by his agent, George Langberg of GSL Sports, according to Givony.

Osobor, who is from Bradford in the United Kingdom, also shared his thoughts on the big decision he made.

“I would like to thank God for putting me in this position,” Osobor shared (h/t Givony). “Washington will allow me to maximize my potential as a player in my final year of college basketball. Coach [Danny] Sprinkle has been with me every step of the way since I came from England, and I cannot wait to help the Huskies get back to the NCAA tournament.”

Great Osobor had short but memorable run with Utah State before Washington basketball transfer

Osobor's seemingly historic move to Washington basketball is expected to give the Huskies a tremendous boost on the court. After playing his first two seasons in the collegiate ranks with the Montana State Bobcats, Osobor went to Utah State in the 2023-24 college basketball season.

In his lone year with the Aggies, he led them to a 14-4 record in the Mountain West Conference and 28-7 slate overall. The Aggies got ranked as high as No. 16 on the Associated Poll and went to the Big Dance as a No. 8 seed. They reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they got ousted by Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers. In what turned out to be his final game in Utah State uniform, Osobor posted 14 points, six rebounds, and two steals in 33 minutes of a blowout loss to the Boilermakers.

During his stint with the Aggies, Osobor averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks through 35 games. He doesn't have much of a game beyond the 3-point line, but he's been successful in getting buckets, especially in the painted area.

There will be an adjustment phase for Osobor in his new environment, but his ample experience in the NCAA plus the fact that this isn't the first time he's transferred from one school to another should greatly help him acclimitize himself in a new setting. He also should have a considerable role right away for the Huskies, who will be playing their first season in the Big Ten in the 2024-25 campaign after departing the Pac-12.

Social media reacts to Osobor's NIL deals, transfer

The news on Osobor's transfer to Washington basketball and his sweet NIL deals have fans on social media buzzing. It is perhaps not surprising to see some passionate takes on it.

Here are some of the reactions on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter):

“A bit strange to put out there how much they paid him.”

“2 million for a guy who can’t score outside the paint?!?!?!”

“Good for him but disgusting for college sports.”

“Unless he’s a generational once and a lifetime player he’s not worth 2 million.”

“He’s now a B1G player .. probably be reduced to Good Osobor once conference play begins .. he was torched by Zach Edey and TKR in the round of 32 in Indy in the NCAA tourney.”

“2 million for a guy not even on a draft board? the sport is dead.”

“Definitely worth the money as he is the only player that without a doubt will be “Great”.”