After going 1-4 over their last five games, including losing two straight to Stanford and UCLA, Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has made a coaching change involving the play calling.
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Thus far, Sean Lewis, the former Kent State head coach, has been the offensive coordinator and play caller.
Now, Coach Prime is turning the reins over to former NFL offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, per Brett McMurphy.
Colorado quality control analyst Pat Shurmur will take over play-calling duties from OC Sean Lewis vs. Oregon State, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Deion Sanders must elevate Shurmur from analyst to full-time coach to be eligible to coach. Lewis will still signal the plays in, a…
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 3, 2023
"Colorado quality control analyst Pat Shurmur will take over play-calling duties from OC Sean Lewis vs. Oregon State, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Deion Sanders must elevate Shurmur from analyst to full-time coach to be eligible to coach. Lewis will still signal the plays in, a source said, but it's unknown which assistant will be demoted to make room for Shurmur's promotion. Shurmur was an NFL OC w/4 teams, most recently the Broncos in 2020-21, & was former head coach of the Giants & Browns," McMurphy reported.
As mentioned, Coach Prime must elevate Shurmur and demote an assistant. Despite this demotion, Lewis will still signal the plays.
Shurmur spent time in the NFL as an offensive coordinator and head coach. His career began in 1988 as a graduate assistant for Michigan State.
Here's a complete list of the teams he's coached:
- Michigan State
- Stanford
- Philadelphia Eagles
- St. Louis Rams
- Cleveland Browns
- Minnesota Vikings
- New York Giants
- Denver Broncos
- Colorado
He was the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2017 with the Vikings. He was most recently with the Broncos as an offensive coordinator from 2020-2021.
With Shurmur taking over the play calls, he'll have to make calls while being mindful of how poor the offensive line has been this season. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been sacked 39 times (most in the country) and pressured 158 times (second most).
Colorado will take on Oregon State at home in Week 10, now with Shurmur calling the plays.
