What’s worse than luring away top-tier talent? Luring away top-tier talent in ways that can be deemed unethical. Unfortunately, Dan Lanning and his team now find themselves in that exact situation right now, as multiple reports have been cropping up alleging some wild tampering schemes going on in the Oregon Ducks’ front office.

The controversy first reared its head in January this year, when Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter leveled some serious allegations. During an appearance on the KTIK Idaho Sports Talk Show with Mike Prater and John Mallory, Koutter said that Lanning’s team immediately tried to get some Boise State players after the latter lost the Penn State Lions in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals (31-14) in December last year.

“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,” he said, while pointing out, how and why exactly that’s a massive problem. “Our salary cap is $2 million. And that’s up from maybe something like $1.6 million last year, but it’s around $2 million. Every calendar year, that’s what it is right now, and trying to grow it. 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…It’s just going to get tougher and tougher to compete.”

For context, teams like the Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes enjoy a staggering NIL budget of around $23 million as revealed by Nebraska Athletic Director, Troy Dannen, in June 2024. Notably, even Boise State’s HC Spencer Danielson joined his voice to the cause when he had revealed that around 13 team players had been contacted by Power4 teams before the winter transfer portal even opened. “I know for sure of 13 that are getting illegally recruited to get in the portal and get paid all this and that. That’s happening. That’s happening right now as we’re winning games and as we’re successful.”

Now add to that the current allegations, and the Ducks front office seems like they’ll soon find themselves in a pickle…

On February 27, during the Menace 2 Sports podcast, host Kris Drew began, “Oregon contacted five or six current players to get them into the portal and offered them more than double of what their General rate was, and what Ohio was paying him. And it feels like, per this bucknuts reporter, that they are going through some of the top teams and offering as much money as possible to get guys to leave and come to Oregon. Because they are desperate to win a championship and desperate to be one of the big boys. Do you believe in the validity of this? Do you think that they really are offering double [of] what the market value is?”

To this Zach Smith responded, “I believe they’re tampering, but I don’t believe they’re offering double market value. Like, we would have seen at least a couple players take that, maybe not from Ohio State. They’re certainly not only doing it to Ohio State…I’m sure Ryan Williams got that offer. I’m sure some of the nation’s elites also got contacted. And if that was true, double market value, you’d see at least one…massive name hit the portal and go to Oregon and we didn’t see that.”

This raises a bigger question—Is Oregon feeling the heat after their Rose Bowl embarrassment against Ohio State? 

Ryan Day‘s Buckeyes didn’t just beat Oregon. They dismantled them with a 41-21 victory, ending their undefeated season and unceremoniously kicking them out of the playoff picture. Zach Smith and Kris Drew debated whether the Ducks were desperate or just doing business in this new era of NIL-driven roster building. Both believe this doesn’t stem from desperation. But one thing’s for sure: they’re throwing money as bait, as seen from Boise State’s case. 

Top Comment by Rick Francis

This is the dumbest story in all of college football. Every program that is getting top talent in the portal...more

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The water runs deep 

As mentioned earlier, Koetter didn’t hold back in calling out Oregon’s alleged poaching, and money plays a big role. The reality is that NIL is the Wild West right now. We’ve already seen the ugly side with the BYU case. No real oversight, no concrete rules, and no cap on what schools can offer. Programs with deep pockets are bidding for the best talents. Until a governing body steps in, it’s going to keep happening. 

Though, there are rules in place against such practices, by NCAA which state that players cannot be contacted by any teams, unless their name is in the transfer portal. Having said that, Koetter’s complaints didn’t end there.

In a lengthy Facebook post, the offensive coordinator wrote, “College football is rapidly changing 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. 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.”

“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 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.”

Looks like things are starting to get dicey by the second.