Deion Sanders is trying to spark the struggling Colorado Buffaloes by shuffling his coaching staff and demoting a former NFL head coach.
Sanders stripped offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur of play-calling duties and demoted him to quarterbacks coach after an Oct. 25 loss to Utah, according to Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today. Tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Brett Bartolone has taken over Shurmur’s duties.
Colorado is coming off two straight blowout losses
Sanders had promised changes after his team’s 53-7 loss to Utah, though he refused to announce any of them publicly. Shurmur appears to have taken the fall for that performance, though it did not do the Buffaloes much good, as Colorado fell 52-17 to Arizona last Saturday.
In addition to changing his coaching staff, Sanders has gone back and forth on his quarterbacks to try to spark his offense. It did not work, as both Julian Lewis and Kaidon Salter saw time in the loss to Arizona, with neither particularly effective.
Colorado originally hired Shurmur as an analyst in 2023. A few months later, he was promoted to offensive coordinator in a staff shakeup that is very similar to the one he is falling victim to now.
Shurmur has had stints as head coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, going 19-46 overall. Given his demotion, it appears highly unlikely he will be back with the Buffaloes next season.
Colorado sits at just 3-6 on the season and 1-5 overall in Big 12 play.
