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Deion Sanders has reportedly made his choice at defensive coordinator. The head coach was able to lure an NFL staffer over to Boulder after a lengthy interview process.
Coach Prime stuck to his guns when it came to his selection, not letting outside pressure influence his timeline. While he’s finally secured his target, there are some that were hoping for bigger name.
Former DC Charles Kelly parted ways with the program at season’s end, accepting a role with Auburn and creating a vacancy on the staff. After a poor showing in the 2023 campaign, Sanders looked to make a splash with his next defensive hire.
The Buffs ranked near the bottom of the PAC 12 in both scoring (34.8 PPG) and total defense (453.3 YPG) which played a large role in the team’s 4-8 overall record.
While many wanted Sanders to move quickly with his replacement, he opted to vet candidates and go with the most accomplished.
The reason for the long wait was that Prime wanted someone with NFL experience, potentially leaning towards a current member of a professional staff.
“The only reason I haven’t hired a person to coordinate (the defense) and (coach) the defensive line is because I’m not trying to be quick, I’m trying to be right,” he said in a conversation with Robert Griffin III.
“I’m trying to be right because we have a staff that’s built on a lot of guys who have been at the pro level… I might have to wait for the interview to be over for an NFL guy. You don’t know what I’m up to.”
On Wednesday night, we found out the man Prime had handpicked.
The Colorado head coach seemed to tease the announcement with a post on Instagram, though that eventually turned out to be a marketing venture as opposed to a staff addition.
A few hours later, though, Sanders’ DC decision was made public.
Cincinnati secondary coach Robert Livingston is expected to accept the role after leading the Bengals’ defensive backfield for nine years.
His 2022 secondary held NFL passers to an NFL-low 58% completion percentage.
NEWS: Deion Sanders & Colorado are expected to hire Bengals secondary coach Robert Livingston as their new defensive coordinator, @RapSheet reports🦬https://t.co/n2rVYjrEUI pic.twitter.com/uEEHJvktJ9
— On3 (@On3sports) February 7, 2024
Livingston brings with him experience as both a coach and a scout, and he even spent time in the SEC (Vanderbilt) prior to his NFL tenure. Now, he’ll head to Boulder.
While the soon-to-be coordinator’s resume is a lengthy one, some were expecting a bigger name.
Here’s the immediate online reaction.
“Deion made it sound like they were hiring Bill Belichick as the next DC.”
“Prime hyped this hire up so much.”
“This the blockbuster hire y’all been waiting on?”
“I can’t believe this was the big name surprise hire.”
While not everyone is over-the-moon with the addition, Livingston brings with him more than a decade of experience – most of which comes in the NFL.
Sanders likely isn’t too worried about the outside perspective, and he already knows you can’t please everyone!