Stories about one coach complaining about another school tampering are seemingly daily occurrences. Most recently, Richmond coach Russ Huesman accused Maryland of tampering with his kicker.

“It’s a zoo out there,” one coach told DCTF about the current state of recruiting, NIL, transfer portal, and tampering in collegiate football.

“It’s the Wild, Wild West,” another coach added. 

The stories are nearly identical each time. Non-FBS staff members locate a potential recruit, spend the money to bring the player in for a visit, and then work to develop the player into a consistent starter, only to have an FBS school persuade the player to enter the portal with a promise of NIL money. The player then enters the portal and transfers to the school that offered the money.

Most players explain precisely how the process happened to their coach. 

“It’s a sad state of affairs, but it’s the one we’re living in and we have to deal with it,” one Southland Conference head coach said. “We’re in spring practice and people are reaching out to guys on our roster who haven’t even discussed entering the portal.”

The NCAA Bylaws in all three divisions are clear. Directly or indirectly contacting a student-athlete or any individual associated with the student-athlete (e.g., family member, high school coach, 7-on-7 coach) at a current NCAA DI or DII school without ensuring the student-athlete is in the transfer portal is prohibited. The definitions apply to members of the athletics staff, boosters, and any representative of the institution’s athletics interest.

Yet, the NCAA does nothing about the tampering, primarily because people continue to find ways to circumvent the rules. 

“Coaches are our own worst enemies because we have abused every rule that’s ever been made, which is why the rule book is so thick and confusing,” another head coach in the Southland said. “The competition for the player is great, plus the money available is great, so guys will do whatever they have to do to get a guy. If any coach tells you they’re not buying players or contacting players through a third party, they’re lying to you.”

While the days of a player receiving a $5,000 handshake directly from a coach or booster, prevalent 30 years ago, are not as blatant, those handshakes still exist through a third party. 

“Let’s say I’m a booster at (this school),” one United Athletic Conference head coach said. “You and I are friends and meet twice a year, and I give you a $5,000 handshake to make two calls per month for me. I tell you, another team in the conference has two or three players, and I want them to know that we have $1,000 a month if they enter the portal and come here. You don’t have any connection to our school, and you’re making $10,000 a year to make a couple of phone calls.”

However, that’s only one method to skirt the rules. Another technique has been around for decades.

“I’ve dealt with street agents all of my career,” said one United Athletic Conference head coach with over 25 years of collegiate experience. “Street agents have always been there, whether it was Uncle Larry or whoever was designated to look out for the kids in the town.”

“There are so many layers to it. These agents have people they pay to contact the player, so they have a layer of coverage and never get in trouble,” a Southland Conference head coach said. “These kids hear the horror stories from the guys who entered the portal and left only to become a backup and not receive the same development they would’ve if they stayed here.”

Hero Sports senior FCS analyst Sam Herder wrote a story in January that broke down the number of snaps played by the FCS players who transferred to FBS schools in 2024. Of the 350 offensive and defensive players who transferred from FCS to FBS schools following the 2023 campaign, 81% played fewer than 600 snaps (roughly the average number for a collegiate player in a season) for their FBS team in 2024. Meanwhile, 55% played less than 300 snaps last year. 

Still, the amount paid to FCS players to transfer to FBS schools is significant enough for most players to accept a backup role at best.

“That $50,000 for a kicker isn’t even in the ballpark for a backup position player. We were bad at defensive end last year, but we had two guys who looked the part,” one UAC head coach said. “They had 20 tackles apiece for the season in 260 snaps. These guys were low production. One kid is at BYU making $300,000, and the other is making $100,000 at Oregon State.”

Since the inception of NIL, the “street agents” now have contracts with the student-athletes that pay them anywhere from three to 25 percent of their NIL money.

“My agent gets two percent,” a SLC head coach said. “These FBS schools can get some kids off campus and have those guys negotiate the deal to get them to enter the portal and transfer.”

“There is an agency in Phoenix that’s representing over 1,000 athletes, and we’re talking to an offensive lineman they represent in the portal from an FBS school,” another UAC head coach said. “They said they would negotiate with us if the kid makes a minimum of $40,000. We were recruiting him as a backup.”

To date, the NCAA has no regulations or certification process for agents of collegiate athletes. But that is expected to change soon. Until regulations and standards are set, college football will continue to feel like a zoo.