BOULDER — Count CU basketball coach Tad Boyle among the many fans bummed that Mel Tucker bolted for the head football coaching job at Michigan State.

“I thought Mel did a terrific job in the short time he was here — he energized the fan base and Buffs nation, he built a culture and he recruited well,” Boyle said. “Obviously as a Colorado football fan, I’m disappointed.”

Tucker resigned from CU about 14 months after accepting the job, and after one season in which Colorado went 5-7. He’s reportedly set to more than double his $2.4 million salary at Michigan State.

While CU has been churning through football coaches, with the pending hire of a third in three seasons, Boyle is in his 10th year as the Buffs’ basketball coach. He has No. 16 Colorado in first place in the Pac-12. He’s also racked up the second-most wins in program history (208), along with four NCAA tournament showings.

It’s an evident contrast in stability and success between the school’s two marquee programs over the past decade, and that contrast is highlighted even further with Tucker’s sudden departure.

“Loyalty and commitment is a two-way street, and you have to have both parties on board with that,” Boyle said. “I’m happy for Mel and his opportunity, but I’m also happy for whoever the new coach is, and I’m going to support him any way I can.”

Boyle believes CU football won’t be set back too much by Tucker’s resignation.

“We’ve got a great leader in (athletic director) Rick George, who went out and found Mel Tucker,” Boyle said. “He’s going to go out and find another really good football coach.”

The CU basketball coach also believes what’s most important for the CU football coaching hire is finding someone who walks the walk that Tucker talked, about integrity, character and commitment when rebuilding a program that’s had two winning seasons in the last 15 years.

“Commitment and loyalty are words that you can’t talk about,” Boyle said. “They’re things you have to demonstrate and exhibit in your actions. That’s what we need — we need somebody who is totally loyal and committed to Colorado football.”