The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word MENTORED
M
E
N
T
O
R
E
D
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does MENTORED mean?
MENTORED verb- To act as someone's mentor
- Under the control of a mentor