Offensive Coordinator Retires After College Football Playoff Loss

01/03/2025 11:56 AM

The 2024 College Football Playoff may be the beginning of a new playoff format, but it will also mark the end of one college football offensive coordinator's incredible career.

On Thursday, Boise State offensive coordinator and former NFL head coach Dirk Koetter announced his retirement from football in a lengthy Facebook message where he admonished the changes in college football. Koetter was promoted to the full offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2024 after serving in the role on an interim basis the year before.

"College football is rapidly changing and maybe not for the better," Koetter wrote. "Conference realignment, roster limitations, transfer portal, NIL, lack of a governing body with any power are all issues that have to be dealt with. BSU has two incredible leaders at the top right now in Jeramiah Dickey and Spencer Danielson. These are two men of character and the right men for the job at hand."

Koetter lamented how Boise State is falling behind in the "NIL game" with top players being offered many times what their own NIL collective can offer.

"We are behind right now in the NIL game," Koetter wrote. "Our best players are getting offered between 2 and 10 times what we can offer. We are losing recruits in the portal to schools that are just flat outbidding us. I know it's not all about the money and Coach D and staff will undoubtably continue to find 'the right kind of guys,' but money is an issue.

"I know ticket and travel costs continue to rise, but I hope you will join me in contributing to The Horseshoe Collective so that Coach D can keep our best players in Boise and continue to find the next Ashton Jeanty or Ahmed Hassanein. I'm mailing my check tomorrow and every little bit helps."

A message from Dirk Koetter (from his Facebook page) ... pic.twitter.com/ZOJZK4M60B

— 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 (@MikeFPrater) January 3, 2025

Koetter has nearly 40 years of coaching experience at the high school, college and NFL level. An Idaho native, he served as head coach at Boise State from 1998 to 2000, winning back-to-back Big West Conference titles and earning the head coaching job at Arizona. In six years with the Wildcats, he went 40-34 and led the team to a top 25 finish in 2004.

After being fired by the Wildcats in 2006, Koetter spent the better part of the next 15 years in the NFL where he helped develop a number of potent offenses, culminating in his being named head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016. His stint in Tampa didn't go well though as the team went just 19-29 under his leadership.

Koetter spent two more years in the NFL after his firing before returning to his old stomping grounds at Boise State in 2022.

His tenure ends having developed a Heisman Trophy runner-up and helping the Broncos reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in history.

Related: Former NFL Coach Dirk Koetter Reportedly Lands New Job