Tad Boyle is willing to adapt with some of his old school ideals.

Others, not so much. And one of those embedded philosophies is on full display with the class of 2025 signing day haul for the Colorado men’s basketball team.

In an era when many programs lean heavily into more experienced spring acquisitions via the transfer portal, Boyle, in his 15th season at CU, remains devoted to the sign-and-develop approach to program-building. The Buffs added plenty of additional talent to work with on Wednesday’s national signing day, making it official with five new recruits.

That class — Colorado Prep standout Josiah Sanders, Texas wing Ian Inman, Los Angeles-area guard Isaiah Johnson, and prep teammates Jalin Holland and big man Fawaz “Tacko” Ifaola — was ranked as the No. 32 class in the nation on signing day, per 247Sports. It’s ranked fourth in the 16-team Big 12, behind Iowa State (8), West Virginia (20) and BYU (30), though those numbers are certain to fluctuate.

Between a potential shift to 15 scholarships in NCAA men’s basketball and a possible reduction of power-conference level talent available in the transfer portal with the pending end of the extra COVID seasons of eligibility, Boyle and the Buffs opted to stockpile young talent.

“The whole key, I think, is you get good players, and you retain them. And then you develop them as retention happens. I think that’s how we can be successful at Colorado,” Boyle said. “Not to say we’ll never use the transfer portal. We used it this year. We signed three graduate transfers. But this is the last year of the COVID fifth-year guys. There will be graduate transfers, guys that graduated in three years or redshirted somewhere and graduated in four and still have one year of eligibility left. Those guys will still be around. I just think you can’t retain them if you don’t get them.”

The 6-foot-4 Sanders is the highest-rated player of the class, coming in at No. 122 nationally at 247Sports. The 6-foot-5 Inman, from the Midlands, Texas, projects as the sort of versatile, long-armed wing that has been a priority throughout Boyle’s tenure, while Johnson could provide future depth at point guard.

CU associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Mike Rohn said the Buffs were in early on Holland, a 6-foot-4 guard who plays for Dream City Christian in Glendale, Ariz. As the recruiting attention intensified for his teammate, the 6-foot-10 Ifaola, the Buffs were able to add size with them set to lose the 6-foot-10 Elijah Malone, 6-9 Trevor Baskin and 6-8 Andrej Jakimovski.

As they attempt to gain traction in their return to the ultra-competitive Big 12, the newly-inked quintet expects to help form the next competitive core for the Buffs alongside Dak, Diop, and this year’s freshman class of Andrew Crawford, Felix Kossaras and Sebastian Rancik.

“(Player development) is something we use a lot,” Rohn said. “We’ve got some historical context with it a little bit and some things to sell. There’s some guys, some parents, still interested in the long-term approach to get your degree, get better, put the work in. It’s tougher to find. It’s a much tougher sell.”

Last spring in NCAA men’s basketball, an average of five players per team entered the transfer portal. The Buffs are well ahead of the curve in that department.

Among the last three classes to log full seasons at CU (the freshmen classes of 2021-23) the Buffs still have six of those 11 recruits on the roster — 2021 guards Julian Hammond III and Javon Ruffin; 2022 freshman RJ Smith; and last year’s rookies Courtney Anderson, Bangot Dak and Assane Diop. Of the five CU lost along the way, two went to the NBA (KJ Simpson after three seasons at CU; Cody Williams after one). Three exited through the transfer portal, all after two seasons with the Buffs (Quincy Allen, Lawson Lovering, Joe Hurlburt).

“The guys that we lose, if we lose them to the NBA, that’s great. It’s good for them, and it’s good for us,” Boyle said. “These five guys we signed, we sign them because they believe, and their families believe, Colorado is a place you can go and develop and have your dreams come true. And that’s what I want to continue to do. Could we stay older by staying in the transfer portal? Yeah, we could. I’ve just chosen not to go that route. I’m not saying it’s the right thing. It’s the right thing for me.”