The Colorado football program under Deion Sanders started off well but has since seen a decline. The Buffaloes struggled last season and do not have much excitement coming into the 2026 season, especially after losing players in the transfer portal. They also took a big hit on Wednesday with Robert Livingston deciding to leave the Buffaloes and join the Denver Broncos staff. It is a major setback for Colorado, which is looking for a new defensive coordinator before spring practice.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter was one of the first to report that Sanders was losing his defensive coordinator. The Denver Broncos are hiring Colorado defensive coordinator Robert Livingston. He spent two seasons in charge of the Buffaloes’ defense. He is a former Bengals assistant who came to college to coach under Deion Sanders and is now heading back to the NFL.
Livingston will serve as the Broncos’ defensive passing game coordinator under Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. The two worked together with the Bengals, as Livingston was the team’s defensive backs coach from 2016 through 2023.
Colorado went 3-9 in 2025 as the defense allowed 6.1 yards per play and 30.5 points per game. Colorado ranked 112th out of 136 teams in scoring defense.
The Buffaloes’ defense was much better in 2024. As Colorado went 9-4 and had Heisman Trophy winner at defensive back and wide receiver Travis Hunter, the Buffs gave up 23.1 points per game and 5.1 yards per play. Both sides of the ball took a major step back in 2025, as Colorado had its worst season under Sanders’ three years in charge.
The Colorado football program already looked to make changes on the offensive side of the ball. They hired Brennan Marion after he was the head coach at Sacramento State for just one season. Before he was at Sacramento State, Marion was the offensive coordinator at UNLV. Former NFL head coach Pat Shurmur was the team’s offensive coordinator to start the 2025 season, but tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Brett Bartolone was calling plays in November.
The Buffaloes will have a new look coaching staff across the board in the 2026 season, and it will be interesting to see how Deion Sanders handles it, especially with JuJu Lewis coming back to start under center.
