‘When staffs tamper with our players, they will be hearing from me;’ Spencer Danielson on transfer portal tampering

Former Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter accused Oregon of tampering in January

Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson. | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning made headlines on Wednesday by advocating for a crackdown on tampering. 

Players are routinely contacted by representatives from other schools before entering the transfer portal. 

“Just play the game the way it’s supposed to be played, right?,” Lanning said at Big Ten media days. “There has to be consequences to actions, and if there aren’t consequences, then there’s going to continue to be issues like that.”

Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson was asked about Lanning’s comments during a pre-camp press conference on Thursday. When Lanning’s name came up, Danielson cracked a large smile. 

Back in January, outgoing Broncos offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said the Ducks attempted to buy a Boise State starter for a huge NIL payout. 

Boise State Broncos offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. | Brian Losness-Imagn Images

“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 in a radio interview on KTIK. 

Danielson never mentioned Lanning or Oregon while sharing his thoughts on player tampering and the transfer portal. 

“The transfer portal, tampering, is it frustrating? Golly, yes,” Danielson said. “I think more and more for me, I’m trying to just be a problem solver in this space. I get asked a lot about things from either the College Football Playoff format and when should the transfer portal be? … And yeah, there are things I have strong opinions about. But I’m just trying to more now, as I grow, to really focus on the things that I do control. 

“I will tell you this. When I find out that a coach has tampered with our players, I am calling them immediately, and that will not stop. That’s going to keep happening. … When staffs tamper with our players, they will be hearing from me. And will anything come from it? Maybe not. But I want them to know I know. And I want them to know that I believe no matter where people are at, right is right even if no one is doing it. Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it. Period. That’s integrity to me, and that’s what I want to make sure our program does.”

Boise State was able to retain most of its key players for the 2025 season, including star left tackle Kage Casey and edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan. 

Casey is projected to be an early selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.