When Nick Saban announced his retirement in January 2024, he denied it had anything to do with the growing influence of NIL. However, during a Congressional hearing on NIL in March, he admitted that it did influence his decision, realizing the landscape of college football was changing and that change was driven by money. “It’s whoever wants to pay the most money, raise the most money, buy the most players, is going to have the best opportunity to win,” Saban said and that is exactly what is happening.

The effect of NIL was in full swing during the Bryce Underwood saga. The No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class had initially committed to LSU in January last year. However, Michigan relentlessly pursued Underwood and got him to flip his commitment after a reported NIL offer of $10.5 million for a four-year contract.  This was just the latest example of how programs with more money can get the players they want, while those less fortunate might be left in the cold.

This scenario got too much for the Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, who has decided to retire after just one season back in Boise. A veteran coach with four decades of experience, he helped Boise State win the Mountain West Championship as they made their first College Football Playoff this season.

But Koetter has had enough. No press conferences, no grand exits—just a Facebook post and a whole lot of questions left hanging in the air. He talked about money, loyalty, and how the game’s changing for the worse. In his Facebook post on Friday, he thanked the Bronco Nation and highlighted his achievements before turning to the “tough part.”

“College football is changing rapidly, and maybe not for the better. Conference realignment, roster limitations, transfer portal, NIL, lack of a governing body with any power are all issues that have to be dealt with,” he noted.

“Bronco Nation has always done whatever it takes to give the Broncos the best opportunity to compete on the field…But we are behind right now in the NIL game. 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 undoubtedly continue to find the “right kind of guys,” but money is an issue,” Koetter wrote.

With teams going more aggressive than ever before when it comes to NIL deals, it creates a precarious situation for these Group of 5 teams. Boise’s Ashton Jeanty remains a top target for programs. Jeanty almost broke Barry Sanders’ rushing record, and the SEC and Big 10 came knocking, flashing fat NIL checks after his sophomore year.

Then there is Tulane, another key player in the Group of 5 schools, who lost their starting quarterback Darian Mensah to a massive NIL offer by Duke. The Blue Devils secured Mensah’s commitment after offering him a reported NIL deal worth $8 million over two years. Schools like Tulane and Boise State cannot compete with this financial muscle.

Top Comment by BAE01

Due to NIL and transfer portal, the college football bowl games (except maybe the playoffs) nothing more than high priced...more

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Koetter’s been coaching since shoulder pads were bigger than players’ heads and his words paint a stark picture after Saban’s piercing statement last year. The transfer portal ain’t helping either. Boise’s been losing talent left and right. Not because players don’t love the team, but because they’re getting outbid like it’s an auction.

Koetter ended his Facebook message post with a message of hope and urging the Bronco Nation to fight back.

He wrote, “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 and Ahmed Hassanein.”

So yeah, Dirk’s tapping out of the chaos. And honestly, can you blame him? After all, how do you coach in a system where loyalty is traded for dollar signs? It’s like playing chess when your opponent’s got a flamethrower. Still, Koetter isn’t leaving the Broncos high and dry. He’s sticking around as a senior analyst, helping his protégé, Nate Potter, take the reins and he will have big shoes to fill.

Dirk Koetter’s legacy

When it comes to football résumés, Dirk Koetter’s reads like a mixtape of greatest hits. Boise State fans still remember his first stint as head coach back in ’98, leading the Broncos to a 26-10 record before he leveled up to Arizona State. But it wasn’t just college football—Koetter made waves in the NFL, too, cooking up offensive schemes for the Jaguars, Falcons, and Buccaneers. He was Tampa Bay’s head coach for 3 years from 2016 to 2018, where he went 19-29 and coached Heisman Winner Jamies Winston. Well, let’s just say he gave it his best shot. But Dirk’s real magic is in calling plays, turning underdogs into contenders, and making football look like poetry in motion.

Fast forward to 2022, and Koetter came out of retirement to help Boise State again like Batman answering the bat signal. This season, he teamed up with Nate Potter to design the game plan that turned Ashton Jeanty into a Heisman runner-up and got Boise State to the CFP. Sure, they got obliterated by Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. But a Mountain West title, 12-2, and a near-record-breaking season from Jeanty? That’s a season most teams would kill for. Dirk Koetter’s legacy ain’t just about W’s and L’s—it’s about showing what’s possible when heart and hustle meet a football genius.

His impact on Boise State—and college football—runs deeper than any trenches in Idaho. He’s literally the coach who fought for the underdogs, even when the game turned into a bidding war. And the NIL and transfer portal era may have pushed him out of the coaching spotlight, but he’s leaving behind a blueprint for resilience. Boise State fans won’t forget the man who stood tall, even when the odds—and the dollars—literally stacked against him.

As for Koetter? He’ll be in the background, still rooting for the Broncos, because once a coach, always a coach. Right?