Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders is close to filling out his assistant coaching staff for the 2024 season.

During a video posted on YouTube by Well Off Media, Sanders revealed a few changes to the staff, while adding that the Buffaloes are still looking for a defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.

“We’re addressing that right now,” Sanders said to the rest of the coaches. “We could have done that probably in the last month, but I don’t want to be quick; I want to be right. I don’t want to expeditiously make a decision and it’s not the right decision. We’re probably going to have this done in the next couple of days.”

CU has not officially announced staff changes, but Pat Shurmur was introduced to the team on Sunday as the new full-time offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator and New York Giants head coach was elevated to a co-coordinator role with the Buffs for the final four games last season.

Jason Phillips, who spent the past two years with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, was introduced as the new receivers coach. Phillips played with Sanders with the Atlanta Falcons in the early 1990s. He has coached more than two decades in college football, most recently as co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach for Sanders at Jackson State in 2021.

As previously reported, Phil Loadholt (offensive line) and Vincent Dancy (defensive ends) are also new to the full-time coaching staff. Both were also introduced to the team, as well.

Gary Harrell (assistant head coach/running back), Andre Hart (linebackers) and Kevin Mathis (cornerbacks) are all returning to the staff. So is Brett Bartolone, but in a different role. After coaching CU’s receivers last year Bartolone is slated to coach tight ends and inside receivers this year.

This offseason, the Buffs have lost a handful of coaches from last year’s staff. Offensive coordinator Sean Lewis is now the head coach at San Diego State and defensive coordinator Charles Kelly left the Buffs for a position at Auburn, his alma mater. Defensive ends coach Nick Williams (Syracuse), offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle (Northwestern) and tight ends coach Tim Brewster (Charlotte) have also taken positions elsewhere.

It’s unclear what has happened with the defensive line position. Sal Sunseri coached the line last year and there had not been any indication that he wouldn’t be back until the Well Off video posted on Sunday.

In the video, Sanders is shown addressing the coaching staff, saying, “You notice that we have two missing, a DC and our line coach.” The video also shows a team meeting, including a list of the assistants on the white board, with Sunseri not included.

In the past, Sanders has indicated that fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp, who was a star defensive tackle, could be joining the staff. If Sapp has a role, it’s unclear what that role would be, but it’s unlikely that he will be the defensive line coach. A source told BuffZone that Sapp is not under consideration for a full-time assistant coaching position.

Notable

On Saturday, former Florida Atlantic linebacker Jaylen Wester announced that he is transferring to CU. He will join his brother, LaJohntay, a star receiver, in Boulder. The 6-foot, 200-pound Jaylen Wester played 22 games in two seasons at FAU, recording 113 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and two sacks. He had 55 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and a sack this past season.