Deion Sanders is making a shocking change to his Colorado coaching staff for Saturday’s college football game. He has benched offensive coordinator Sean Lews in favor of former NFL head coach Pat Shurmur.
Shortly after being hired to coach the Buffaloes, Coach Prime made what was considered to be one of the biggest moves of the offseason. Lewis, the head coach at Kent State, resigned from his post to become the offensive coordinator in Boulder.
In some ways, Lewis’ move was a demotion. It was a step down in terms of his title.
In other ways, Lewis’ move set him up better for the future. It was an opportunity to show that his innovative offensive capabilities translate to the Power Five level. He had already proved that he could be a great head coach at a Group of Five program, so this was a logical next step.
Either way, no matter how you looked at the move, it was a big deal.
What was announced on Friday morning was even more so!
Colorado’s offense has been fine.
Lewis’ tenure as the offensive coordinator at Colorado lasted just eight games. The Buffaloes went 4-4.
They scored:
- 42 points against TCU
- 36 points against Nebraska
- 43 points against Colorado State
- 6 points against Oregon
- 41 points against USC, with 27 in the second half
- 27 points against Arizona State
- 43 points against Stanford
- 16 points against UCLA
Although there were a lot of frustrating moments with the offense, especially some very ugly stats that show the offensive line might be trying to kill Shedeur Sanders, it has not been the biggest issue with the team. 31.75 points per game is the 54th-ranked scoring offense in the country.
Meanwhile, the defense has allowed an average of 34.875 points per game. Colorado’s defense was the primary reason for close losses to USC and Stanford.
Deion Sanders is making a change at OC.
Although the offense is less of a concern than the defense, Coach Prime is making a huge change with his offense staff. As first reported by Brett McMurphy, Deion Sanders has relieved Sean Lewis of his duties— kind of.
Lewis will still be on the sideline. He will still signal the plays in.
However, quality control analyst Pat Shurmur will be elevated to a full-time coach and call plays. The 58-year-old will be in charge of the Buffaloes’ offense.
It’s all very confusing.
Shurmur, who joined the team during the offseason, will return to the college football ranks for the first time since a stop at Stanford in 1998 after 20+ years in the NFL. His tenure on the professional level included time as head coach of the Browns and Giants, and stints as offensive coordinator with the Rams, Vikings and Broncos.
Lewis is out, at least temporarily. Shurmur is in.