Tad Boyle had to scramble to find replacements after his 2024 NCAA Tournament team lost three players to the NBA and three other key contributors via the portal. This happened as Colorado moved back to the Big 12 last season, where they were welcomed with a brutal 3-17 conference record in what turned out to be a gauntlet of a year.
Colorado desperately needed a spark heading into the 2025-26 campaign after winning just three conference games the year before. Boyle has been able to make big moves out on the recruiting trail, including landing Isaiah Johnson, Jalin Holland, Ian Inman, Josiah Sanders, Alon Michaeli, and Fawaz "Tacko" Ifaola - all of whom played major minutes and contributed this season.
The Buffs started strong in non-conference play, but stumbled early in Big 12 action, dropping six straight games. Colorado leaned on their young players, who steadily improved as the season went on. They finished 7-11 in Big 12 play, more than doubling their conference win total from a year ago.
Tad Boyle and Colorado struck gold with Isaiah Johnson
Johnson isn't your typical freshman point guard, as he plays with the poise of a veteran. Early on, Boyle brought the California native off the bench to ease his transition to college basketball, and that bench unit became one of the nation's Top 25 in scoring production.
Like freshman quarterback Julian Lewis did for Deion Sanders' football team back on Nov. 8, 2025, Johnson made his first start on the road in Morgantown during Colorado's 72-61 loss. From that point forward, he's been a fixture in Boyle's starting five.
In Colorado's season finale against No. 2 Arizona on Saturday night, Johnson exploded for a season-high 28 points against the team with the nation's third-best defensive rating, according to KenPom.com.
He also broke a 16-year record in that game, one held by former Buffs great Alec Burks. Johnson finished the regular season with 526 total points, surpassing Burks' mark of 512. When you consider he passed Colorado legends like McKinley Wright IV, Chauncey Billups, and Richard Roby in the top five, it's an impressive feat.
Johnson's feel for the game as a freshman is incredible, and it shows in his ability to draw contact and get to the line. Once he adds more muscle and grows into his body, he'll become even more of a problem than he already is. Colorado has something special in Johnson, and they'll need to do everything in their power to keep him.