First, Reggie Bush got his Heisman Trophy back—and now he’s finally entering Nissan’s Heisman House. 

The former University of Southern California star running back makes his long-awaited debut in the 14-year-old campaign with an ad showing him emerging from a cryotherapy room, then defrosting to see what he has missed since 2010. That year—which marked the debut of the Heisman House campaign—was the same year that Bush forfeited his 2005 Heisman Trophy in the wake of NCAA sanctions against USC, including allegations that Bush received improper financial benefits.

Bush got his trophy back in April with the Heisman Trophy Trust citing the “enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years,” including a 2021 Supreme Court decision that paved the way for college athletes to get paid for endorsements via so-called name, image and likeness rules.

Bush has long maintained the NCAA’s original ruling against him was unfounded, and last year he sued the NCAA for defamation after it referred to his college playing career as a “pay-for-play” arrangement. Bush accepted the trophy back during a ceremony in April, vowing in a news conference the next day to continue his lawsuit. 

While the spring event made it official, this week’s debut of the Nissan campaign debut serves as Bush’s symbolic return to the Heisman brotherhood. The campaign—one of the longest-running college football-related ad efforts—has for years drawn on a cast of former Heisman winners who are humorously depicted as living in a fraternity-style dwelling. 

Bush’s debut ad, above, keeps that frivolous spirit. He is let out of the frozen chamber by ex-Baylor great Robert Griffin III and last year’s Heisman winner, former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

“What’s new?” Bush asks.

Following a plug for Nissan’s 2025 Nissan Kicks subcompact crossover, Bush is shown some sillier innovations, including robotic dogs playing with University of Georgia’s bulldog mascot, ex-Michigan great Desmond Howard filming social media content and 1978 Heisman winner Billy Sims watching a game using a virtual reality headset.

Also read: Inside Dr Pepper’s Fansville campaign

“It’s exciting to be here with the guys, get a chance to have conversations with them—laugh, tell jokes, and you know, it’s like being a locker room all over again,” Bush said via a Zoom interview in June while filing the ad in Austin, Texas.

The campaign, handled by Omnicom’s TBWA\Chiat\Day, also features Heisman House regulars Baker Mayfield, Mark Ingram, Tim Tebow and ex-coach Steve Spurrier, who won the Heisman in 1966 while playing quarterback for the University of Florida. A total of five ads will begin airing on Aug. 29 with the media buy including ESPN, ABC, CBS and Fox, as well as digital and social media.

One ad highlights “Google built-in,” which integrates Nissan vehicles with Google offerings such as its maps and assistant functionality. 

The campaign also leans into another return—EA Sports’ College Football video game, which recently came back with a 2025 version after an 11-year absence. The automaker is promoting a “College Football 25 Nissan Heisman House Challenge” that includes a gaming tournament beginning on Oct. 28 with prizes including a 2025 Nissan Kicks. The gaming tournament finals will be streamed on Twitch and YouTube on Dec. 9. Nissan secured product placement in the college football video game that features the Kicks, including via in-game jumbotrons.

The EA Sports partnership is one way Nissan is trying to keep the 14-year-old campaign fresh. The automaker routinely adds new wrinkles to the effort—last year, for instance, it partnered with Zillow, including giving the house a dedicated page on the real estate platform. (Nissan has used two houses to film the ads over the years, one in Austin and one in Pasadena, California.)

“Every year we have a theme,” said Marisstella Marinkovic, VP and chief marketing officer for Nissan U.S. “So last year it was like, is the house real? This year is football’s back—Reggie’s back in the house. There’s [been an] 11-year hiatus with the EA college football game, and it’s back.”

Nissan is a longtime sponsor of the Heisman Trophy.

“One of the things that we do strive for is being part of that culture conversation—and the Heisman program and campaign does that,” Marinkovic said. “For us, It’s not just a campaign, it’s a moment.”