Four Colorado freshmen accept zero-minute roles for 2026-27

Four freshmen on the Colorado men's basketball roster are expected to log zero minutes in regular season games during the 2026-27 campaign. Head coach Tad Boyle has indicated that Chase Hill, Amir Jones, Rider Portela, and Eric Jacobsen will primarily function as practice players. This structural shift marks a sharp contrast to the 2025-26 season, when the Buffaloes went 17-16 and relied on a deep bench with 11 players appearing in at least 20 games.

The Buffs will open their 17th season under Boyle on November 2 against Abilene Christian. As of Friday, the team reached the 10-day mark before that opener. Boyle has not finalized exact minutes, but the starting rotation is likely to consist of guards Barrington Hargress, Alex Dickeson, Jalin Holland, Josiah Sanders, and Ian Inman, along with forwards Justin Neely, Noah Feddersen, Goc Malual, and David Gomez. Gomez may see limited action as he recovers from foot surgery performed a year ago.

The four freshmen arrived in Boulder through distinct pathways. Portela, a wing from Phoenix, committed last November. The other three joined the roster as late additions last spring. Jacobsen, a 6-foot-1 post player, grew up near Chicago and Wisconsin before attending Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. His recruiting momentum stalled after he tore his ACL during his junior year. Hill comes from a basketball family, with a father who holds the all-time win record at Division III Trinity University and a grandfather who helped recruit Boyle to Kansas 45 years ago.

Jones reopened his recruiting process following a coaching change at Georgia State, where he had initially signed. Portela's father is also a coach. The group has accepted their roles as developers of the team's depth rather than immediate contributors. Hill stated his goal is simply to develop, noting he could have started at Division III and transferred later but chose Colorado for a four or five year timeline.

Jacobsen admitted that accepting a limited role was challenging at first. He said he is realizing he can give maximum effort daily without much to lose. Boyle described the situation as fluid, emphasizing that the players are young and lack consistency. He noted that Jones had a strong practice on Friday and that Jacobsen and Hill have also performed well in recent sessions.

Boyle stressed that the players must prepare mentally every day in case their standing changes between October and December. The team aims to surprise in the Big 12, relying on this third unit to maintain intensity during practices despite their current position at the end of the bench.