As WSU’s football season wound down, rumors swirled about their players and coaching staff. Will Jake Dickert move on to a better job? Which school is offering John Mateer a seven-figure offer? Where will Wayshawn Parker find himself in 2025?
Despite having five games left to play, it was reported in late October that Mateer had an “unknown” suitor offering him $1.5 million. Rumors surrounding Dickert and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle were flying in early November. And everyone, including the fans and media in Pullman, treated it as normal.
Five years ago it would have been shocking for a college to find out their star quarterback was being offered millions of dollars by another school in October. Fifteen years ago it would have been unheard of. Thirty years ago it would have been a national scandal. Today, Wazzu fans simply shrug, mutter something along the lines of “NIL is ruining college sports,” and go on with their day.
It has become relatively common for players to begin receiving future NIL offers during the season. While technically against the NCAA’s rules, the practice is no longer frowned upon by the national media and for the most part, reports of tampering go ignored. Schools are beginning to adopt the mindset of, “If everyone else is cheating, why should we play by the rules?”
Dickert openly asked that question late in the year, just a week before he flew off to Wake Forest. He lamented the reality that larger, better-funded schools were making offers to WSU stars before the school even had a chance to counter. He made it clear he intended to play by the rules but admitted it was getting difficult when it was clear nobody else cared.
WSU was fortunate enough to retain enough players to still compete in a top-tier bowl game. Other schools were not as lucky. Marshall University had to withdraw from their bowl game after an 8-4 season; even in early December, they had already lost their entire starting lineup to the portal.
The truth is tampering in college football has gone too far. There need to be penalties for schools that attempt to pry players away during the season. That is what the transfer portal is for. Players should not enter the portal already sure where they will land, but all too often, that is the case. A Mountain West star is contacted by an SEC school in October, has an offer in November, and by the time the portal opens in early December, he is already out the door and on the campus of his new home.
The biggest problem is that tampering distracts players and coaches during the season. When the season is still underway, players and coaches should primarily be thinking about winning their next game, not about whether they should accept an offer from a better school.
Would WSU have finished the season on a four-game losing streak if their quarterback, running back, head coach, offensive coordinator and countless others were not distracted by offers from other schools? Of course, there is no way to be certain, but I would venture the answer is no.
Tampering needs to be called out and penalized. It is against the integrity of the game and it can cause seasons to be derailed by distracting players and coaches before the transfer portal opens. The NCAA needs to step in and clear up the rules, or else it will only get worse.
