For background, please read the prior post at:
I need to say this with utter clarity — I don’t believe Tad Boyle should or will be fired after this season. He is the winningest coach in CU history and has overachieved relative to institutional support for the basketball program. He’s been to the tournament 6 times (7 if we count the 2020 season). Just last season, he won 2 NCAA tournament games and had 3 players drafted to the NBA.
His $10.2m buyout just solidifies the conclusion – Boyle is not going to be fired. Nor should he be.
However, for reasons set forth in the prior post, it’s prudent for Rick George to keep a list of potential replacements up to date in case Boyle decides to step away from coaching given the growing frustration with the current state of college basketball. This post is being made in the spirit of helping Rick George in case Boyle decides to retire – and not in the spirit that Boyle needs to be fired immediately. Oh, also — I love hot boards. So we’re going to make hot boards.
Let’s jump in:
Long Shots (But Worth a Call)
Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic
The former CU Buff forward is the head coach of the Orlando Magic. He just signed a 4-year extension in Orlando that will take him through the 2027-28 season paying him an estimated $7m annually. This is the longest of long shots but perhaps Mosley can be a sounding board for Rick George or the person making the next hiring decision.
Kim English, Providence
The former CU assistant and current Providence Friars head coach is a dynamic recruiter and has had success at George Mason and Providence. However, in 2024 English signed a 6-year contract extension at Providence that takes him through the 2030 season and probably – probably — makes him too expensive for Colorado.
Chauncey Billups, Portland Trailblazers
I debated whether to put Billups under the “Long Shots” category or not. The current head coach of the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers has a contract that ends after this season (with Portland holding a team option for the 2025-26 season). Given Portland’s struggles this season, it’s unlikely that he’ll be retained. It’s not clear whether Billups has a strong preference to remain in the NBA – but it’s probable he’ll be available for another coaching gig in the relatively short future.
Greg McDermott, Creighton
The long-time Creighton head coach and former Iowa State head coach has had tremendous success at Creighton, leading the Blue Jays to the NCAA tournament 9 times. He signed a new deal that runs through the 2027-28 season that makes him “one of the highest paid coaches in the Big East.” It’s not clear whether CU is a potentially better job than Creighton, but it’s worth a call, particularly since McDermott knows the Big 12 from his time at Iowa State.
Realistic Candidates
Niko Medved, CSU
The current CSU head coach would make a very strong candidate. He’s won at Furman, Drake and CSU – all schools with fewer resources than CU, and fewer resources than many of their competitors. His best coaching job may actually be this year, where he’s led a very pedestrian CSU team to a tie for 2nd place in the MWC. He led the Rams to the NCAA tournament in the 2022/23 season. His team plays fast, he’s affordable and a culture fit. Medved was already a strong candidate for the Ohio State job this past off-season. If Medved is the choice, it will become very important that Ali Farokhmanesh, his lead assistant and primary recruiter, also be on staff.
Bryce Drew, GCU
Bryce Drew has been the head coach at each of Vanderbilt, Valparaiso and Grand Canyon University, and he’s lead each of these programs to the NCAA tournament (and gone to 6 NCAA tournaments overall). He’s probably a better coach than he was a basketball player, but old school fans remember his buzzer-beating shot in the first round of Valparaiso’s NCAA tournament run. His older brother is Scott Drew, the current Baylor coach that has been very successful. Drew received a 6-year contract extension from GCU in 2024, but financial details were undisclosed. GCU plays as fast as any team in the country, and plays attacking basketball. Drew will be a strong candidate for many jobs this next off-season.
Chris Gerlufsen, USF
Gerlufsen is the current basketball coach at the University of San Francisco, and he’s helped build the program from bottom tier to very respectable in just a couple of years. He’s experienced, relatively inexpensive, and has extensive west coast recruiting ties. This kind of hire would be a long term “program builder” type of hire but is probably not sexy enough to move the needle in the ultra-competitive Big 12.
Richard Pitino, New Mexico
Richard Pitino is the current head coach at the University of New Mexico. The son of former Knicks coach (and current St. John’s coach) Rick Pitino, Richard is making about $1.2m this year at New Mexico and is under contract until the 2028-29 season. Still, the Colorado gig would represent a material raise for him. While Pitino’s 8 years as head coach at Minnesota was not overly impressive, his up-tempo style of play and prolific use of the transfer portal make him an interesting candidate.
Ben McCollum, Drake
McCollum has helped keep Drake humming in the post-Darian DeVries landscape (DeVries was hired at West Virginia this past off-season). McCollum was hired in 2024 at Drake after winning multiple titles at the NCAA Division-2 level. Drake is currently 21-2 with wins over Miami (yes, that Miami), Kansas State and Vanderbilt. While this would be a risky hire, McCollum is seen as a dynamic up-and-comer and will be hired at a P4 program before next season (whether at Indiana, Iowa, or elsewhere). This is a name to keep an eye on — he won’t be at Drake for long.
Jeff Linder, Texas Tech
Jeff Linder, like Tad Boyle, was the head coach at UNC Greeley. Linder was named Big Sky Coach of the Year during the 2018-19 season, and led UNC to the most wins during a 3-year stretch in program history. He then was named head coach at Wyoming, a notoriously difficult school to recruit to, and he posted a 63-59 overall record and took the Cowboys to the NCAA tournament in 2022. Linder voluntarily left Wyoming to become the lead assistant at Texas Tech, where he is working under Grant McCasland. Linder lives in Lafayette, Colorado and would presumably love to lead the Buffaloes.
Who else should be on the hotlist? Post your thoughts/ideas in the comments below.
I love Drew. My son attended GCU and what he’s done there has been pretty incredible.
A few other names to consider:
Will Wade (McNeese St., formerly LSU) – Got fired for offering $ to a player. Turns out he was just ahead of his time. Has McNeese St. at 21-6. Will wind up back in the P5 soon.
Jerrod Calhoun (Utah State) – Has the Aggies at 22-4 with two losses to UNM. They score in bunches.