Josh Niblett left his job coaching high school football in Georgia to become the new tight ends coach at Colorado. He formally introduced himself to the Buffaloes at the first team meeting of the 2026.
It was quite the introduction.
The former high school football coach delivered as speech that was equally as inspirational and informative as it was overly dramatic. He’s a perfect fit for a college football program like Colorado.
Who is Josh Niblett?
Niblett comes from a coaching family. His father was a head coach while he was a kid. His brother also got into coaching. It’s in his blood.
The Alabama-native played running back for the Crimson Tide in the early 1990s before he started his career as a coach. Niblett won a state championship at Oneota in 2004, spent three seasons at Oxford, and won four state championships at perennial powerhouse Hoover. He went 236-58 in Alabama.
And then it was off to Georgia!
Josh Niblett took over at Gainesville High School in 2021. The Red Elephants won 45 games in four seasons and returned to relevance in the Peach State with a pair of state championship appearances.
The most recent run was highly controversial.
Gainesville got into a bench-clearing brawl during the second round of the state playoffs. Officials had to call the game early and 35 players were suspended for the next round of the postseason.
The school ultimately filed for an injunction in response to the suspensions, which led to a messy legal battle. All of their players were eventually reinstated and the Red Elephants played their way to the finals. It was a Cinderella run for a team that had to take legal action to get there.
Niblett dressed in all black for the state championship game because it was going to be a funeral. It just so happened to be his own. Gainesville got blown out. All of its wins were vacated anyway.
Colorado hired a legendary high school football coach.
A lot of people don’t care for Josh Niblett as a personality. He can be abrasive and he often draws criticism for acting like someone he is not. Everything is for show. “Cosplay” if you will.
While that might be true to a certain extent, Niblett wins. Period. And that’s what matters.
Deion Sanders hired Niblett as his new tight ends coach for the 2026 college football season. His role will focus in large part on recruiting, which should help give Colorado a leg up in Alabama and Georgia.
The Buffaloes held their first team meeting of the year earlier this week. Each new player and coach got a chance to introduce themselves in front of the team.
Niblett, wearing a cowboy hat, delivered a speech that can best be described as captivating.
Some people were ready to run through a wall for the new tight ends coach. Others found his presentation to be rehearsed and performative.
Regardless of your opinion of Josh Niblett, there is no doubt that he will fit right in at Colorado. This kind of speech, from the message to the cadence, could not be more in line with Coach Prime’s vision. They are a perfect match. Equally as inspiring as entertaining.