Colorado's Tad Boyle Addresses Retirement Speculation in New Report

Despite some outside speculation, longtime Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball coach Tad Boyle doesn't plan on stepping away when his 16th season in Boulder concludes.

College basketball insider Jeff Goodman reported earlier this week that Boyle isn't considering retirement amid another challenging season. Entering Wednesday evening's matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats, the Buffs are 15-12 (5-9 Big 12) and sit No. 71 in the NCAA's Net Rankings.

Colorado Tad Boyle Addresses Retirement Speculation Report Buffaloes Men's Basketball Head Coach Isaiah Johnson Fernando Lovo — Jan 29, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Tad Boyle talks with Colorado Buffaloes guard Josiah Sanders (5) coming off the court in their game with the Iowa State Cyclones during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

"I'm as excited today as I was my first year here at Colorado back in 2010," Boyle said before the season.

Much of Boyle's excitement stems from his talented freshman class. Guard Isaiah Johnson has emerged as one of the Big 12's top first-year players, and fellow rookies Alon Michaeli, Jalin Holland, Josiah Sanders, Ian Inman and Fawaz "Tacko" Ifaola have also seen impactful minutes.

"Being around young people, especially those youthful guys, brings a lot of energy every day, which gives me energy, and we have to feed off each other," Boyle said.

Still, Colorado appears headed toward another losing season in conference play and the arrival of new athletic director Fernando Lovo certainly complicates Boyle's future in Boulder. In a perfect world, the winningest coach in Colorado men's basketball history walks out on his own terms, but the 63-year-old Boyle doesn't appear ready to hang up his whistle just yet.

Colorado Men's Basketball Approaching Critical Offseason

Colorado will soon enter a critical offseason centered around player retention. It won't come cheap, but the Buffs must dedicate resources to keeping Johnson and other key underclassmen out of the transfer portal.

Currently averaging 16.3 points and on 48.2 percent shooting, Johnson will almost certainly gain attention from college programs with larger wallets this offseason.

"Isaiah Johnson is the best freshman in the country that nobody talks about," Boyle said, per CUBuffs.com. "I believe he'll be an NBA player someday."

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Colorado must also solve its rebounding issues, which will likely come via the transfer portal. Center Elijah Malone has struggled mightily in his final college season, and forwards Bangot Dak and Sebastian Rancik are each averaging under seven rebounds per game. As a team, Colorado is averaging the fifth-fewest rebounds per game in the Big 12 (34.8).

Depending on Boyle's faith in Rancik, Dak and Ifaola to take a step forward next season, Colorado would benefit from adding a strong rebounder from the portal.

Tip-off between Colorado and Kansas State on Wednesday is set for 7 p.m. MT Fox Sports 1. The Wildcats are 11-16 overall (2-12 Big 12) and 1-1 since firing coach Jerome Tang earlier this month.

“We understand that this is a great league, and we want to be able to play our best basketball down the stretch," Hargress said, per CU. "We're trying to focus on getting better every weekend so that we're putting ourselves in a position to be winning these tough, elite games."