‘I am calling immediately’: Boise State coach slams college football tampering
Another college football season is on the horizon, and Boise State arrives with a team that mostly survived another offseason transfer portal window that felt like the Wild West.
The Broncos did lose three likely starters through the portal — wide receiver Prince Strachan (USC), linebacker Andrew Simpson (UNC) and punter James Ferguson-Reynolds (Oregon) — and almost lost senior defensive tackle Braxton Fely, but he changed his mind and came back.
However, that doesn’t mean Boise State coach Spencer Danielson is satisfied with the state of the transfer portal, particularly regarding tampering.
“Transfer portal tampering? Is it frustrating? Golly, yes,” Danielson said Thursday when talking to media.
The question about tampering came after Oregon coach Dan Lanning said at Big Ten media days on Wednesday that “there have to be consequences to those actions,” speaking about tampering.
Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey found some joy in the quote, reposting a social media message of a GIF of Ron Burgundy from “Anchorman” laughing in response to Lanning’s quote. Danielson couldn’t help but flash a smile when asked about the quote Thursday.
Dirk Koetter, former Boise State offensive coordinator and current senior analyst, said in January that following Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl loss, someone representing Oregon offered a Boise State player $700,000 to transfer.
Danielson said Thursday that he “tries to be a problem solver” rather than complaining about the system, and he prefers focusing on the things he can control. However, he didn’t hold back on what happens if someone tampers with a Bronco.
“I will tell you this: When I find out that coaches tamper with our players, I am calling them immediately,” Danielson said. “And that will not stop, that’s going to keep happening. ... When staffs tamper with our players, they will be hearing from me.”
Danielson emphasized the importance of integrity in a program and said it doesn’t matter who’s doing the tampering, because he would respond. But he said Boise State won’t be causing problems.
“I believe, no matter where people are at, right is right, even if no one’s doing,” Danielson said. “Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it, period. That’s integrity, and that’s what I want to make sure our program is.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 11:35 AM.
