Boise State Football Accuses Oregon Ducks of Tampering

The Oregon Ducks and Boise State Broncos each saw their seasons come to an end in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals. Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said this week on an Idaho radio show that right after the Broncos loss, Oregon tried to lure away a key starter from Boise State with $700,000.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks off the field as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks have been accused of tampering by Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. Earlier this week, Koetter joined an Idaho Sports Talk Show with Mike Prater and John Mallory, where he said that Oregon was trying to poach their players right after the Broncos Fiesta Bowl loss per On3.  

Dirk Koutter Claims Oregon Offered $700,000 For Boise State Player

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) tries to break past Boise State Broncos safety Ty Benefield (0) during their Vrbo Fiesta Bowl matchup at State Farm Stadium on Dec. 31, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Boise State Broncos fell to the Penn State Lions in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals, ending their incredible season. Broncos offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said earlier this week that Oregon immediately tried to get one of the Boise State starters.

NCAA rules state that a team cannot be contacted by another team until that player officially puts their name into the transfer portal.

“I know for a fact that just last week, after the Fiesta Bowl, one of the key starters on defense got a call from the Oregon Ducks offering him $700,000,” Koetter said. 

Boise State is out of the Mountain West conference and Koetter talked about the amount of money allocated to Boise State football compared to bigger programs. 

“Our salary cap is $2 million…Every calendar year, that’s what it is right now, and trying to grow it,” Koetter said. “But the people we are competing against, maybe not in our current conference, but where we’re going and who we’re expected to compete against, it’s as high as $20 million.” 

With NIL in full swing in college football and no real set in stone rules, it is going to be a battle for teams with lower NIL funding to compete at the top of the sports. The teams with the most money are going able to bid higher for the best players coming out of high school. Until a governing body steps in and puts more regulations in college football, this will continue to happen. 

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Will the NCAA Put More Regulations on NIL and the Transfer Portal?

AT&T Stadium is the host for the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The NCAA’s NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) policy was adopted in July of 2021. This has completely changed the game when it comes to recruiting, the transfer portal, and how programs build their teams. 

With NIL still being fairly new, there aren’t a lot of rules in place to regulate spending. For example, the Michigan Wolverines were able to land the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2025, quarterback Bryce Underwood, with an NIL offer of $10.5 million per Bleacher Report.

Then when it comes to the transfer portal, players can come and go to as many schools as they would like year by year.

Is this model sustainable? If not, there will have to be major changes and more rules put in place. 

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