Year 17 opened the same way for Tad Boyle as a lot of his seasons at Colorado have: with work, uncertainty and a roster that looks nothing like the last one.
The Buffaloes held their first practice Wednesday, starting the nearly six-week climb toward the Nov. 2 opener at home against Abilene Christian. Boyle is back for his 17th season in Boulder, and the veteran coach arrived with the same message he’s carried through the years - even as the college game around him keeps changing and his own future keeps coming up.
“I feel as excited today on the first day of practice as I felt 17 years ago,” Boyle said. “I get asked about it a lot.
It’s starting to come up in recruiting some. All I can say is I love what I do.
I have the energy to do it. I’m healthy, knock on wood, enough to do it.
And I’m going to do it as long as I can and I’ve got the energy.
“And when I don’t, I owe it to the university, I owe it to our players, I owe it to the program to say, hey, it’s time for somebody else to take the reins. But I don’t feel that coming any time soon. I don’t have a crystal ball, so I’m not putting a timeframe on it, but I feel like Forrest Gump sometimes - I’m going to keep running until I feel like stopping running.”
Boyle’s wife, Ann, made sure the milestone didn’t sneak by unnoticed.
“When I left the house this morning, my wife said, ‘Welcome to year 17,’” Boyle said.
The Buffs are trying to rebuild around a very small core. Only four scholarship players are back from last season’s 17-16 team: fifth-year point guard Barrington Hargress and second-year players Jalin Holland, Ian Inman and Josiah Sanders.
That leaves Boyle with 10 newcomers on the roster, and possibly 11 depending on what happens with forward transfer Iaroslav Niagu.
Colorado also opened preseason with a pair of personnel questions. The most immediate is forward David Gomez, a Charlotte transfer who was limited to two games last season because of a foot injury. He did not practice over the summer and was still out Wednesday as the Buffs began camp.
Boyle said Gomez has been cleared for workouts, but the player still isn’t comfortable.
“I listen to our doctors, I listen to our training staff,” Boyle said. “Most doctors and training staffs in this day and age are very conservative.
According to them he’s fine, he’s ready to go. But David doesn’t think he is.
He’s got some pain there, so he’s not practicing. All I can do is deal with the guys that are there and healthy and ready to play.”
Niagu’s situation is tied to that same roster construction. The 7-foot-1 big man was brought in late, in part because of Gomez’s slow recovery, but his eligibility remains unsettled because of the ongoing fifth-year rulings that have created a legal mess for players in his position.
A Russian national who started at USC before transferring to Jacksonville State, Niagu had originally been granted a fifth season before that ruling was put on hold last month when the 10th U.S. Circuit of Appeals granted a stay of an earlier eligibility ruling for fifth-year petitioners.
“It’s difficult for him, it’s difficult for me and our staff just now knowing what the future holds,” Boyle said. “We’ve been really, really honest and open and transparent with him in terms of what could happen, what could not happen.
But it’s good to have him at practice. I’m not expecting anything, I’m hoping.”
In Other News...
Colorado Faces Immediate Lineup Uncertainty In Crucial Big 12 Opener
Colorado heads into its Big 12 opener against Baylor with the kind of injury report that can reshape a game plan before kickoff. The Buffaloes have already ruled out wide receiver Danny Scudero and offensive lineman Demetrius Hunter, two absences that thin out both the pass-catching group and the protection in front of the quarterback.
There are still more questions than answers around the rest of the roster, with tight end Charlie Williams and running back Damian Henderson among those listed as doubtful. The report leaves Colorado juggling lineup decisions at a time when the first conference game carries real early-season weight, and the final picture may not come into focus until much closer to game time. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Could Look Very Different For Its Big 12 Opener
Colorados first three games have already offered a little of everything, from a road upset at Georgia Tech to a reality check against Northwestern, and now the Buffaloes turn the page to their Big 12 opener against Baylor. The matchup comes with a different kind of challenge, too, because Baylor could look very different by then if several key players are back from injury, which would change the complexion of a game Colorado badly wants to steady after last week.
Julian Lewis was blunt about the need to clean things up after throwing two interceptions in the loss to Northwestern, and the Buffaloes will need that kind of response if they are going to reset the tone of their season. Baylors potential return of key pieces, including quarterback DJ Lagway, adds another layer to a conference opener that already feels like an early test of how quickly Colorado can recover from its first setback. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Needs One Transfer Receiver To Deliver Before Big 12 Play
Colorados passing game has spent the early part of the season searching for answers, especially against Power 4 opponents where the offense has not consistently found traction. Deion Sanders has made it clear the issues go beyond one game or one player, pointing to route running and consistency as areas where the receiving room has to clean things up, even as injuries have thinned the group and added more pressure to a young quarterback room led by Julian Lewis.
As Big 12 play approaches, the Buffs are still waiting on a transfer receiver to become the steady option the offense can lean on. Kam Perry is among the players Sanders has singled out as needing to sharpen the details, and Colorados hopes of getting the passing attack on track may depend on one of those newcomers turning promise into reliability before the schedule stiffens again. [Read more 🡒]