Spencer Danielson was officially hired as Boise State’s new head football coach in December after taking over the program as an interim last season. He is already making waves!
The 35-year-old created a hilarious mental picture with his most recent disclosure.
Tampering is rampant in the current era of college football. Programs are constantly trying to recruit players at other schools to leave their current team and transfer. NIL money is often involved.
More lucrative programs are able to call athletes with the promise of more money. That is rather difficult to turn down if you’re an 18/20-year-old who has the opportunity to see the field in a greater capacity at the school that is going to pay you more. And that is especially true for the freshman in Boise!
Danielson recently announced a hard ban on NIL money for any first-year player on his roster. They have to earn their money as sophomores, juniors and seniors. Very few, if any, other teams have that rule.
It would be hard for a freshman on the Broncos not to listen to another program’s pitch when they are not getting a single penny for at least one full year…
And then there is the standard tampering practices that are taking place. If an athlete has a strong year at a Group of Five program like Boise State, he is going to get multiple offers to leave for a more prominent G5 program or a P5 program. Those conversations may not be legal, but they’re happening!
In an effort to get other coaches to stop tampering, Danielson is literally calling them individually.
I’d like to imagine that conversation goes a little something like this…
Danielson: “Hey Coach John Smith, quit tampering with my players!”
Coach John Smith: “No.”
Danielson: “But that’s illegal!!!”
Coach John Smith: “Ok.”
Danielson: “I’m going to tell on you!”
Coach John Smith: *hangs up phone*
I appreciate what Spencer Danielson is trying to do here, but there isn’t much hope. The cat is out of the bag and the coach who won’t pay his freshman is not going to be the one to get that cat back in the bag.