San Diego State Basketball Coach Already Discussing NIL With Players for Next Season

Just because the 2024-25 Division I men’s college basketball season is still going on, that doesn’t mean San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher isn’t focused on the next one.

Even amidst his eighth year with the program, where he’s led them to a 19-7 record and likely another NCAA Tournament berth, the 65-year-old coach knows this is an unprecedented time in athletics.

A time when filling a roster is harder than ever before.

On “The Field of 68” podcast as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune, Dutcher stated, “You have to secure your roster now, because if they go portal, it’s unlimited free agency with no salary cap. No pro sport in the world can survive that, yet that’s what college basketball is.”

Dutcher and his staff, like many other programs, are consistently revitalizing their recruiting mechanisms to maintain their team’s momentum and guarantee a full roster. 

NIL has forced coaches like Dutcher to annually re-recruit his own players, as the price of new sponsorships and endorsements is enticing. 

“We’re starting to work our way through the roster right now. You wait till the end and try to get it all done in a week, it’s impossible ...” Dutcher said. “We’re in negotiations. That’s college basketball. And you know what? People (from other programs) are calling on the kids already. They’re trying to get involved with them.” 

Amidst the NCAA v. House Settlement, San Diego State is set to disengage in outside collectives as opposed to its adversaries. 

Despite the settlement granting direct shared revenues with athletes compared to its original funneling of NIL payments through an independent collective, the Aztecs decided to opt out. 

Instead, the MESA (Mentoring and Empowering Student-Athletes) Foundation, started by former school alumni Jeff Smith, will become the main pipeline for funds for its basketball teams, both women’s and men’s. 

When the MESA Foundation first began three seasons ago, its annual budget was $350,000.

Three years later, it has skyrocketed thanks in large part to the Players Era Festival - a non-conference men’s tournament this past November that has increased the 2025-2026 fiscal year’s budget beyond $2 million.

While it’s unknown which players will be returning next season, MESA is committed to doing whatever they can to keep SDSU as competitive of a program as possible.

“There was a collective decision made that it would make a lot of  sense to be preemptive and not just wait for the season to end,” MESA’s founder and former SDSU alum said about keeping the team intact. “We recognize how badly these guys want to play here and how special this team is and what the return of these players might look like next season.”

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