College Football Fans React To Oregon's Tampering Accusations
01/09/2025 12:30 PM
An outgoing college football coach accused Oregon of tampering.
Dirk Koetter, who worked as Oregon's offensive coordinator in 1996 and 1997, is retiring after serving the same role at Boise State this season. During a Wednesday radio interview on Bronco Nation News, Koetter claimed the Ducks offered one of their defensive players $700,000 to transfer. He said Boise State, which lost to Penn State in the College Football Playoff's second round, has an NIL budget of around $2 million.
Koetter lamented that big programs like Oregon can now buy players developed by smaller schools like Boise State.
"It's just going to get tougher and tougher to compete," Koetter said.
To anyone paying attention, it seems obvious college programs are impermissibly contacting players before they enter the portal. Fans aren't stunned by the allegation, and they doubt any ramifications will follow.
"Why would anyone be surprised by this?" Athlon Sports' Christian Borman asked. "It shouldn't even be news at this point. Until the NCAA actually does something about 'tampering,' no one will stop doing it. Playing by the rules puts you at a huge disadvantage right now."
"Everyone is tampering," a fan speculated. "It's not new."
"Until there is a consequence for this, this won't go away," a fan predicted.
"College football is broken," Damian Zimmer said.
Koetter isn't the first coach to say other schools are tampering with his players, and he won't be the last. However, far fewer of them throw a specific program under the bus.
One Oregon recruiting analyst questioned Koetter's claim. On3's Justin Hopkins claimed the Ducks haven't recruited any edge rushers in the portal. However, Koetter didn't specify the position of the defensive player impermissibly recruited.
Koetter also speculated that Ashton Jeanty could have received over $1 million if he stayed in college and transferred. The Heisman Trophy runner-up declared for the 2025 NFL Draft after gaining 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns for the Broncos this season.
Related: Oregon's Football Program Accused Of Cheating After Rose Bowl Loss
