Football
Livingston, Robert
vs
Wyoming
Sep 20 (Sat)
TBA
Robert Livingston
- Title:
- Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
Rob Livingston joined the Colorado staff in February 2024 as the defensive coordinator after spending more than a decade with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals in various capacities. On top of his coordinator duties, he will coach the safeties for the Buffaloes.
In his first season in Boulder, the Buffs defense dramatically improved, which was a key factor in the Buffs improving from 4-8 in the first season in Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders to 9-4 and within a game of the Big 12 Championship and possible College Football Playoff berth in 2024.
The improvement of the defense under Livingston was dramatic, as the Buffaloes allowed 11.7 fewer points per game, 101.4 fewer yards per game and increased its big play abilities by producing 12 more sacks, 28 more tackles for loss, 27 more quarterback hurries, 18 more pass breakups, five more interceptions and two more fumble recoveries than the previous season at CU.
The defense improved from 121st in scoring defense to 43rd, 124th in passing yards allowed per game to 40th, and from 64th in sacks to 15th, also leading the Big 12. The Buffs were especially impressive in the second half on defense, allowing just 11.5 points per game, a top 10 mark nationally while leading the Big 12.
Helping Livingston in that turnaround was Travis Hunter having one of the best seasons in college football history. A lockdown cornerback, he was targeted the fewest amount of times in the FBS, around 10 percent, and in those 43 targets he had 11 pass breakups and four interceptions to rank among the league’s and nation’s leaders. He won the Heisman Trophy and was the consensus Defensive Player of the Year before being selected with the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft. All this while also playing more than 90 percent of CU’s offensive snaps, as well.
Hunter along with B.J. Green II, Shilo Sanders and Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig are all in the NFL entering the 2025 season after playing under him in 2024.
Prior to coming to Boulder, Livingston began his NFL journey in Cincinnati and ascended quickly, starting as a scout from 2012-14 before becoming a quality control analyst and special teams assistant in 2015. He was then promoted to the safeties and defensive backs coach in 2016 where he stayed through the 2023 season.
He began his coaching career in college at Furman as the safeties coach in 2010 and was also a defensive quality control analyst at Vanderbilt in 2011.
At Cincinnati, along with coaching former Buffs Josh Tupou and being the position coach for Chidobe Awuzie, he helped the Bengals reach Super Bowl LVI after knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
In all the Bengals had six playoff seasons in his time there, including another run to the AFC Championship game in 2022, where they lost 23-20 to the Chiefs.
Some of the top players he coached while with the Bengals alongside Awuzie include Jessie Bates III, Von Bell, Dax Hill, Shawn Williams, Reggie Nelson, and Adam Jones, among others.
Bell and Bates specifically made several impact plays during the Bengals’ run to Super Bowl LVI, including Bell picking off Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes in overtime of the AFC Championship to set up a game-winning FG drive. Two weeks later in the Super Bowl, Bates intercepted L.A. Rams QB Matthew Stafford late in the first half to negate a scoring threat.
In 2019, Livingston and the secondary helped the defense to a significant turnaround over the final eight games. The Bengals held opponents to just a 59.3 completion percentage the second half of the season, down from 64.3 percent in the first eight games, while also yielding 84.1 fewer yards per game in that span.
In 2017, the Bengals' secondary spearheaded a defense that ranked eighth in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (211.2). Cincinnati also ranked sixth leaguewide in red zone defense, allowing TDs on 46.4 percent of opponents' trips inside the 20-yard line.
Livingston helped the 2016 Bengals' secondary record 13 of the team's 17 INTs, which ranked second in the league. The defense also held opponents to the fifth-lowest passer rating in the NFL (83.1), and Cincinnati yielded the second-fewest points per game (17.4).
In 2015, Livingston did on-field work with the defensive secondary, while working in defensive quality control and also as a special teams assistant. His defensive efforts helped the Bengals rank second in the NFL in fewest points allowed at 17.4 per game. Cincinnati also had 21 INTs (third in the NFL), and allowed the second-fewest TD passes in the league (18). Nelson and Jones were selected to the Pro Bowl.
From 2012-14, Livingston worked as a Bengals scout, covering the southeast — primarily the ACC and SEC — and had a role in evaluating defensive backs from across the nation.
Livingston went to the Bengals from Vanderbilt University, where he served in 2011 as defensive quality control coach. He spent the 2010 season on the Furman University football staff, working primarily with the safeties.
A native of Hendersonville, N.C., Livingston was a two-time Athlete of the Year at Hendersonville High School. He played free safety at the College of William & Mary from 2007-09, contributing to one of the top defensive units in the NCAA's FCS ranks. He graduated from William & Mary with a degree in kinesiology.
Livingston and his wife, Tricia, have a son, Luke, and three daughters, Emma, Savannah and Lily.
In his first season in Boulder, the Buffs defense dramatically improved, which was a key factor in the Buffs improving from 4-8 in the first season in Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders to 9-4 and within a game of the Big 12 Championship and possible College Football Playoff berth in 2024.
The improvement of the defense under Livingston was dramatic, as the Buffaloes allowed 11.7 fewer points per game, 101.4 fewer yards per game and increased its big play abilities by producing 12 more sacks, 28 more tackles for loss, 27 more quarterback hurries, 18 more pass breakups, five more interceptions and two more fumble recoveries than the previous season at CU.
The defense improved from 121st in scoring defense to 43rd, 124th in passing yards allowed per game to 40th, and from 64th in sacks to 15th, also leading the Big 12. The Buffs were especially impressive in the second half on defense, allowing just 11.5 points per game, a top 10 mark nationally while leading the Big 12.
Helping Livingston in that turnaround was Travis Hunter having one of the best seasons in college football history. A lockdown cornerback, he was targeted the fewest amount of times in the FBS, around 10 percent, and in those 43 targets he had 11 pass breakups and four interceptions to rank among the league’s and nation’s leaders. He won the Heisman Trophy and was the consensus Defensive Player of the Year before being selected with the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft. All this while also playing more than 90 percent of CU’s offensive snaps, as well.
Hunter along with B.J. Green II, Shilo Sanders and Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig are all in the NFL entering the 2025 season after playing under him in 2024.
Prior to coming to Boulder, Livingston began his NFL journey in Cincinnati and ascended quickly, starting as a scout from 2012-14 before becoming a quality control analyst and special teams assistant in 2015. He was then promoted to the safeties and defensive backs coach in 2016 where he stayed through the 2023 season.
He began his coaching career in college at Furman as the safeties coach in 2010 and was also a defensive quality control analyst at Vanderbilt in 2011.
At Cincinnati, along with coaching former Buffs Josh Tupou and being the position coach for Chidobe Awuzie, he helped the Bengals reach Super Bowl LVI after knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
In all the Bengals had six playoff seasons in his time there, including another run to the AFC Championship game in 2022, where they lost 23-20 to the Chiefs.
Some of the top players he coached while with the Bengals alongside Awuzie include Jessie Bates III, Von Bell, Dax Hill, Shawn Williams, Reggie Nelson, and Adam Jones, among others.
Bell and Bates specifically made several impact plays during the Bengals’ run to Super Bowl LVI, including Bell picking off Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes in overtime of the AFC Championship to set up a game-winning FG drive. Two weeks later in the Super Bowl, Bates intercepted L.A. Rams QB Matthew Stafford late in the first half to negate a scoring threat.
In 2019, Livingston and the secondary helped the defense to a significant turnaround over the final eight games. The Bengals held opponents to just a 59.3 completion percentage the second half of the season, down from 64.3 percent in the first eight games, while also yielding 84.1 fewer yards per game in that span.
In 2017, the Bengals' secondary spearheaded a defense that ranked eighth in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (211.2). Cincinnati also ranked sixth leaguewide in red zone defense, allowing TDs on 46.4 percent of opponents' trips inside the 20-yard line.
Livingston helped the 2016 Bengals' secondary record 13 of the team's 17 INTs, which ranked second in the league. The defense also held opponents to the fifth-lowest passer rating in the NFL (83.1), and Cincinnati yielded the second-fewest points per game (17.4).
In 2015, Livingston did on-field work with the defensive secondary, while working in defensive quality control and also as a special teams assistant. His defensive efforts helped the Bengals rank second in the NFL in fewest points allowed at 17.4 per game. Cincinnati also had 21 INTs (third in the NFL), and allowed the second-fewest TD passes in the league (18). Nelson and Jones were selected to the Pro Bowl.
From 2012-14, Livingston worked as a Bengals scout, covering the southeast — primarily the ACC and SEC — and had a role in evaluating defensive backs from across the nation.
Livingston went to the Bengals from Vanderbilt University, where he served in 2011 as defensive quality control coach. He spent the 2010 season on the Furman University football staff, working primarily with the safeties.
A native of Hendersonville, N.C., Livingston was a two-time Athlete of the Year at Hendersonville High School. He played free safety at the College of William & Mary from 2007-09, contributing to one of the top defensive units in the NCAA's FCS ranks. He graduated from William & Mary with a degree in kinesiology.
Livingston and his wife, Tricia, have a son, Luke, and three daughters, Emma, Savannah and Lily.
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