The Colorado Buffaloes have seen 15 players exit their program in the transfer portal over the last two seasons. For a recruiter and player developer like coach Tad Boyle, that formula isn’t conducive to success with his coaching style.
When building a program, it’s difficult to build out long-term success as a player-developer when over half of your roster is abandoning ship after each season. While Boyle has never played the victim in this new system, he has desires for reform. In an exclusive interview, he shared his vision for the new era of college athletics and where Colorado lies within that mix.
How Building a Program Has Changed for Tad Boyle in NIL Era
When asked whether the NIL era or the transfer portal has changed his mindset around building Colorado’s program, Boyle turned down the notion. But he didn’t deny that the manner in which he is forced to build the program has.
“We haven’t changed our mindset. The marketplace has changed,” Boyle said. “You’ve got a budget that you have to deal with within the marketplace. For the first 28 years of my career, we had room and board, tuition fees and books. And that’s what everyone else had, unless they were cheating, and we know people were cheating. But the ones that weren’t, you were on a level playing field. Now, there is no level playing field.”
Tad Boyle on Marketplace of NIL, Transfer Portal
That new marketplace has arguably made college athletes like professional players. The NIL money they are paid has turned the transfer portal into a wild-west free agency period, and college basketball has been heavily impacted. For Boyle, this new marketplace has changed the way he evaluates which players he’ll be bringing in, as they all now carry monetary implications with them…