Deion Sanders makes huge Colorado coaching change with former NFL head coach
Deion Sanders brings a big change to the offense after last week’s disappointing loss to UCLA dropped the Buffaloes’ record to 1-3 in their last four games.
As Colorado prepares to face Oregon State on Saturday after eight games, Deion Sanders is making changes to his offense.
Sanders replaced his superstar offensive coordinator, Sean Lewis, with former NFL coach Pat Shurmur.
After a promising start, Colorado has lost three of its last four games and is 1-4 in conference play.
The turnaround surprised many as the Buffaloes averaged 31.75 points per game.
But there were also frustrating moments.
Offensive line play sometimes makes quarterback Sheder Sanders feel like he has to run for his life.
Lewis will still be on the sidelines calling plays, but Shurmur will assume the primary playmaking role.
The change is a demotion for Lewis, as he was the head coach at Kent State before resigning to join Sanders at Colorado.
Shurmur brings a wealth of experience to a growing Colorado program. His resume includes time in the NFL as head coach of the Browns and New York Giants.
He was also the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos from 2020 to 2021 before being fired.
Colorado was losing to UCLA, which had no running game. The Buffaloes had just 25 yards rushing and Scheder Sanders was minus-20 on 13 carries.
Sanders is averaging 78.6 yards per game on the ground and 330 yards through the air this season.
As Colorado ushers in a new era of offense, Lewis finds himself in a difficult situation. He signed the largest assistant contract in CU history.
Less than a year later, he will be replaced by someone else, and there is no guarantee that he will return to his previous role.
Shurmur, on the other hand, will be tasked with helping Sanders turn around the program’s recent success with four games left on the schedule.
Colorado plays No. 16 Oregon State, Arizona State, Washington State and Utah before the end of the regular season.
Shurmur’s last job was in the NFL, but he’s no stranger to college sports.
His coaching career began at Michigan State and he served as the offensive line coach at Stanford.
This is the area where Colorado has had the most trouble this year.
As improvements are made, the load will lighten on Sheeder Sanders.
This move should serve as a wake-up call to the Colorado locker room.
In their last game against UCLA, the Buffaloes were down 28-10 after the first quarter.
For the former NFL star, who has talked about his team in the media, the collapse was the final straw.
Shurmur will be expected to take this offense to another level and turn around a season that started off promising but has been denied recently against Pac-12 opponents.
