This sucks

This sucks.

I thought we had our head coach for the future. It felt like Mel Tucker was committed. Everything he said was focused on rebuilding, creating a base for a program-wide renewal and bringing in high-character recruits to make that happen. He literally tweeted that he was committed to CU while openly pursuing the Michigan State job.

This comes a week after Early Signing Day. Do the recruits stay and live in uncertainty, do some of them follow Tucker wherever he ends up? Not even two months ago Tucker was sitting in their living rooms selling them on CU. Some recruits even said they were going to CU because the program felt like a family. Now what?

I assume some of Tucker’s assistants will leave with him, leaving Colorado with a half-empty coaching staff with no one at head coach. Who can the Buffs even hire this late in the coaching carousel, especially if they promote Darrin Chiaverini to interim head coach?

It makes sense why he left. His first coaching job was at Michigan State. He’s from the region and has his family close by. His salary will double and his assistant salary pool will double. Rick George said CU was going to match MSU’s offer, but I guess it wasn’t just about money.

I really liked Tucker. He was my favorite coaching candidate when the Buffs were on the market because of his personality and recruiting ability. He seemed like a stand-up guy whose honesty and integrity were hard to find. He was going to work day and night to rebuild a program the right way. I thought “this guy just gets it,” but apparently he was using CU as a stepping stone.

He could still be that guy, regardless of the move, but it feels like he built up trust and optimism just to leave us hanging.

I don’t know where CU goes from here, who they will hire, which recruits and transfers will stick with the Buffs, and so on.