DEION Sanders has lofty aspirations for his Colorado Buffaloes coaching staff.
Sanders is looking to add two assistant coaches with major NFL experience to the Colorado squad.
Deion Sanders is looking to add two former NFL coaches to his staff[/caption]
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is on Sanders’ list[/caption]
At Big 12 media days, Sanders said that he’s “praying Byron Leftwich will agree to be a Colorado coach.
He also said that he is looking to add Mike Zimmer to his staff as well.
“Our coaching staff, this is without Byron Leftwich, which I’m praying that he does the right thing, and Mike Zimmer, we have 160 years of NFL experience,” Sanders said.
“With those two added, that’s 204 years of NFL experience.
“And I want those years.”
Reports in March indicated that Leftwich had already agreed to coach for Colorado, but Sanders’ comments paint a different picture.
Leftwich was a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2003 and spent nine years as a quarterback in the league.
He won the Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2008 season.
He has also spent time as an assistant coach in the NFL, most recently as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2019 to 2022.
Zimmer was reportedly planning to retire this offseason, but Sanders seemingly is trying to keep him around for longer.
Zimmer is best known as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2014 to 2021.
He also served as the Dallas Cowboys‘ defensive coordinator last year and in an earlier stint from 2000 to 2006.
Zimmer won the Super Bowl in 1996 with the Cowboys as their defensive backs coach.
He also served as a defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is also under consideration[/caption]
When the Vikings fired Zimmer, he served as a consultant for Sanders at Jackson State and then Colorado before returning to the NFL.
His son, Andrew Zimmer, currently serves on the Colorado staff as a quality control analyst.
Sanders has already pulled multiple high-profile coaches onto his staff.
Hall of Famer Mashall Faulk coaches running backs, Hall of Famer Warren Sapp is a defensive pass rush coordinator, and former NFL head coach Pat Shurmur is the team’s offensive coordinator.
