Colorado University Athletics
Coach Prime Blueprint Has Transformed Colorado Football
November 03, 2024 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — The latest bye weekend for Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes proved to be a fruitful one.
While the Buffs had the weekend off, the rest of the conference did Colorado some big favors.
Losses by Kansas State (to Houston) and Iowa State (to Texas Tech) left CU tied with Iowa State for second place in the league standings while KSU dropped one game behind the Buffs.
Now, Colorado's chances of earning a spot in the Big 12 championship game have improved significantly. If the Buffs (6-2 overall, 4-1 Big 12) can run the table and win their last four, they will have a very good chance of finding themselves in the Dec. 7 championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Granted, that is a big "if." Anything can happen on any weekend in the wild and wooly Big 12, which has become the poster child for parity.
Still, the Buffs are in a good position — and given what we've seen from the rest of the conference, they have as good of a chance as anyone of stretching their win streak and earning a trip to Texas.
But no matter what happens down the stretch, Coach Prime has already accomplished far more than many thought possible when the season began.
The Buffs are relevant. They are a good, competitive team. And they have reached that point because his rebuilding process — questioned by many and ridiculed by more than a few — is proving to be a solid blueprint.
Find good players in the portal, recruit some quality high school players, put together a solid coaching staff, and develop from every angle.
Quite simply, Coach Prime brought an NFL approach to college football at the exact moment that college football has started to resemble the NFL more than ever. Free agency (the transfer portal), salaries (NIL) and an expanded playoff have transformed the college football environment — and his approach is taking advantage of that changing environment.
What has largely been ignored by many observers is that CU's transfers aren't all "one-and-done" players. A number of the newcomers over the last couple of years have several years of eligibility remaining — and they are being developed in the Colorado program.
Every member of CU's starting offensive line has at least one more year of eligibility. Meanwhile, players such as DJ McKinney, Isaiah Augustave, Dallan Hayden, Colton Hood and Samuel Okunlola have a couple years of eligibility remaining.
And, players such as Jordan Seaton, Omarion Miller and Drelon Miller are high school recruits who signed at CU and have already become impact players.
As for the coaching staff, Coach Prime has hired assistants with whom he feels comfortable. He lured Robert Livingston from the NFL ranks and made him a defensive coordinator. He hired former NFL head coach Pat Shurmur first as an analyst, then promoted him to offensive coordinator.
Then he brought in former NFL standout Phil Loadholt as an offensive line coach, NFL veteran Damione Lewis as his defensive line coach and NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp as a defensive graduate assistant.
"I love pro football coaches," Coach Prime said earlier this year, "College football coaches, I adore them, but I'm a pro guy. I like those pros because we connect a little better. They understand what I want, what I desire, how I think, a lot better than at the collegiate level. A lot of college coaches, they're wonderful coaches. I mean, phenomenal … but some of them rely on scheme. Pros rely on men to consummate the scheme."
Nobody embodies that philosophy more than Livingston, who has made CU's defense an attacking, opportunistic group — and a very big reason why the Buffs would be a scary team to anyone who has to see them in a playoff situation, whether it be a conference title game or CFP affair.
When Livingston arrived, he assessed his talent, then devised his attack.
The result is a defense that relies heavily on outstanding man-to-man coverage in the secondary, which then allows Colorado to free up defenders to help against the run or rush the quarterback. It's why CU's inside linebackers have been able to play downhill against the run and why CU's pass rush is among the best in the Big 12.
Livingston, a secondary coach in the NFL, recognized what he had at his disposal and has built a defense accordingly.
Livingston has also made great use of one of the best players in the nation. Two-way star Travis Hunter is no doubt a lockdown corner — but Livingston has also used him at the nickel. There, Hunter's instincts make him a solid run defender and he's also athletic enough to cover big tight ends, a job most corners can't handle.
Meanwhile, Shurmur continues to utilize one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, Shedeur Sanders, as well as a bevy of outstanding receivers.
But equally importantly, Shurmur has developed a scheme that presents at least the threat of a run game. The Buffs are by no means a ground-and-pound team, but they have had enough success running the ball in obvious run situations that team's can't cheat. They have to respect the run, which of course opens up opportunities in the passing game.
(Here we give a shoutout to Loadholt, whose offensive line has made steady progress throughout the season).
It all adds up to a team that could be scary in a playoff situation. The Buffs can move the ball in a hurry or in a consistent, work-the-clock situation. Their defense can get to the quarterback, force turnovers and play well in the red zone.
Clearly, any talk of championship games and playoffs is premature. Coach Prime will be the first to stress that the Buffs are in "one game at a time" mode and it's clear that anything can happen in the Big 12.
But what we already know is that the Coach Prime blueprint is working — and don't be surprised when other programs around the nation take note.
