February 23, 2026

Ferris State’s Tae Boyd makes seamless transition from national champion football player to Bulldog hoops

Going from winning the 2025 NCAA Division II football national championship to appearing on a basketball court for the first time in two years is an unlikely probability for most student-athletes, but not for Ferris State University’s Tae Boyd.

The Flint native was all in for the Ferris State football program during his sophomore campaign, totaling 18 catches for 447 yards and five touchdowns to compliment his usage through 15 game appearances.

Boyd also received a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Honorable Mention nod during the championship run that ended in late December. With the program now in its offseason, Boyd traded the gridiron for the hardwood, leading to a swift transition to the Bulldogs' men's basketball team.

The 6-foot-4 wide receiver now moonlighting as a stretch forward had expressed interest with men's basketball head coach Alex Fodness prior to the end of fall ball. Soon after the national championship game, that mutual interest turned into a spot on the men's basketball roster — Boyd’s first appearance with the program in two years.

"When I called him up over Christmas break, we were kind of trying to figure out when was a good start time for him to return to basketball," Fodness said. "I was like, 'Hey, man, you know, you can take, you know, seven, 10 days and relax.' Tae was like, 'coach, we have that game on the 30th (against Grace Christian). I want to be there at the game so I can practice the next day.'"

After a few weeks learning the system and rediscovering his rhythm, Boyd made his debut during a road swing through the Upper Peninsula against then-ranked No. 12 Michigan Tech University and Northern Michigan University.

"He has brought a ton of energy and athleticism, which has been a shot in the arm when we really felt like we were lacking something with the injuries and things like that," Fodness said. "Honestly, our practices improved as soon as Tae started practicing with us. He works really hard and plays hard."

Since joining the lineup, the athletic and explosive Boyd has combined those attributes with his basketball skills to average 13.6 points, four rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting nearly 50% from the floor, 81% from the free throw line and 31% from three-point range.

"It's just been exciting for me," said Boyd, who earned his first start on Feb. 14 in a 75-69 road win over Saginaw Valley State while marking a team-high 22 points. "You know, I've really enjoyed the journey. I really love playing basketball and being out there playing it with the guys.

"It was just fun being with the guys, you know, my first week back playing basketball for a while," Boyd said. "So, I was really enjoying the moment, being present and connecting with the guys."

However, the transition into basketball hasn’t come without its challenges for a Bulldog who takes pride in conditioning to be able to play hard on both sides of the ball.

"Football is more about strength and lifting," Boyd said. "Basketball is much more about conditioning with the constant running—getting up and down the court. It's a different kind of stamina than football."

Whether on the football field or the basketball court, Boyd draws confidence from his roots at Grand Blanc High School — a program synonymous with winning. There, he earned All-Saginaw Valley League honors as a receiver and later helped guide the Bobcats to the 2021 Division I state basketball championship while earning All-State recognition.

"I feel like coming from a winning program has helped me a lot as far as learning how to play the right way," Boyd said. "Using that experience helped me a lot in making the transition back to playing college basketball."

Boyd's arrival has provided a spark for a Bulldogs squad navigating injuries and fighting for GLIAC Tournament positioning as he earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Feb. 16 after averaging 24 points and five rebounds in two games last – bolstering his return to the hardwood both timely and impactful.

"We have to keep our heads high, understand where we are and keep focusing on the things that we need to do to get better every day. Attention to detail and locking in on what we need to do will be important for us,” he said.

Fodness has seen it.

"It's been a pretty smooth transition," Fodness said. "I think a lot of that comes back to his mentality and work ethic because he wants to be a good basketball player. He picks up stuff really quickly as far as our concepts and terminology."

Fodness added, "He got his conditioning to where it needed to be because football and basketball are on opposite ends of the conditioning spectrum. He got gassed a little early on, but once he broke through that wall, his transition was pretty seamless."

From national championship confetti in December to clutch buckets in February, Boyd's journey is less about switching sports and more about embracing opportunity — wherever competition calls.

"He knows what it takes to win," Fodness said. "I think the time that he spent with the football program has really developed him mentally, giving him that edge and understanding of how to bring it every single day in practice. That's something that has rubbed off on us a little bit too."

With Ferris State scrambling to clinch a berth in the 2026 GLIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Bulldogs will need to band together in their final stretch of regular season games between Feb. 23-28 with a current 10-14 record (7-10 against GLIAC opponents).

Their final road contests are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 26, against Grand Valley State and Saturday, Feb. 28, at Davenport.