Boise State men’s basketball’s highest-rated portal signee suffers serious injury; What it means for 2026-27 season

Broncos were counting on former Illinois guard Ty Rodgers

Ty Rodgers. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Boise State men’s basketball team lost all five starters from last year’s roster and signed five players from the transfer portal during the spring cycle. 

Former Illinois guard Ty Rodgers—the highest-rated portal prospect of the bunch—recently suffered a serious lower-body injury. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Rodgers will be out indefinitely, potentially causing him to miss the 2026-27 season. 

“During a recent team-sanctioned workout, Ty Rodgers sustained a lower-body injury, resulting in an immediate and comprehensive evaluation by team doctors and medical personnel,” Boise State said in a statement. “He has successfully undergone surgery to repair the issue and will be sidelined from all basketball-related activities for an indefinite period of time. Additional updates may be provided if appropriate or necessary.”

Rodgers has two years of eligibility remaining. 

A four-star prospect coming out of Illinois’ Thornton Township High School, Rodgers was rated the nation’s No. 55 overall recruit in the 247Sports class of 2022 rankings. His numerous suitors included Alabama, Houston, Michigan and Michigan State.

247Sports rated Rodgers as a three-star transfer portal prospect and the No. 219 overall player in the portal. He was the fifth-highest-rated portal addition among Pac-12 teams behind Gonzaga center Massamba Diop (No. 5 overall player), Gonzaga guard Isiah Harwell (No. 121), Oregon State guard Daniel Freitag (No. 151) and Oregon State center Xavion Staton (No. 173).

Rodgers was a starter for Illinois’ 2023-24 team that made it all the way to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. A defensive stopper and glue guy, Rodgers averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and two assists. 

Rodgers redshirted the following season and missed all of last year due to a torn patellar tendon. Rodgers returned to practice by the end of the season and was expected to be fully healthy for 2026-27. 

The Broncos were counting on Rodgers to be a plug-and-play starter in the backcourt. 

Boise State has several holes to fill as shooting guard RJ Keene II (N.C. State), wing Andrew Andrew (Oregon), forward Javan Buchanan (West Virginia) and second-team all-Mountain West center Drew Fielder (Alabama) all transferred to power conference programs. Starting point guard Dylan Andrews and backup center Dominic Parolin both exhausted their eligibility last year.  

Senior Damari Wheeler-Thomas, a transfer from North Dakota State, will likely start at point guard. The 6-foot Wheeler Thomas averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals last year while shooting 38 percent on three-pointers.

Rodgers was slated to start alongside returning wing Pearson Carmichael. Fellow returnee Julian Bowie could move into a starting role. 

Returning sophomore Spencer Ahrens and transfer portal additions Dovydas Butka, Jikany Deang and Jerquarius Stanback will be competing for playing time in the frontcourt.