Fresno State men’s basketball Head Coach Vance Walberg is willing to spend his own money to recruit new players. 

Walberg recently went on Bulldog Insider on KSEE 24 and talked with Sports Director Scott Bemis on the Bulldogs’ Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) situation. 

“I even told some people I’ll put 250,000 [dollars] of my own money in if I could get five other boosters in town to put the same money in,” Walberg said. “That would give us a million, 1.5 million, so at least we have a chance.”

This past season, Fresno State spent around $600,000 to build a team that won six games all season. With many players entering the transfer portal, the Bulldogs have just two confirmed players returning from the 2024 roster, as well as four new recruits. 

The Bulldogs have struggled to remain competitive for extended periods in the Mountain West. Fresno State has not had a team finish with an above .500 record multiple years in a row since Head Coach Rodney Terry led the team to four straight years of above .500 play from 2015-18. In that time, Terry’s teams finished with at least 20 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2015-16 season. 

Walberg mentioned the importance of the team returning to a dominant position in the conference, like coaches Terry and Jerry Tarkanian did in years prior.

“People want to see that, they want to see that,” Walberg said. “I want to see that, I would love to be able to be a part of that, I really would.”

Another Fresno State group is already raising funds for athletics. The Bulldog Foundation recently broke the all-time record for Athletics Day of Giving. With the 75 year anniversary of the Bulldog Foundation, they were able to raise $191,190 and 566 gifts on the historic day. 

With the season having just ended and student athletes now being able to negotiate NIL deals prior to enrolling, only time will tell what next season’s roster will shape up to be.