Departed Colorado play-caller preferable to Pat Shurmur: Analyst

The Denver Post’s Sean Keeler believes Coach Prime is moving in the wrong direction regarding his Colorado football play-calling — going from a young ace on the recruiting trail in Sean Lewis, now the head coach at San Diego State after a midseason demotion in Boulder, to an antiquated Pat Shurmur.

“Twenty points per game? 0-4? Great? Ask yourself this: Which coach would you rather have out on the recruiting trail preaching the gospel of Prime? Lewis, a 37-year-old who kept a PlayStation 4 in his office at Kent State for players to come in and use? Or Shurmur, who turns 59 next April? And who said two years ago, in front of a pack of NFL reporters, ‘I’m not a very social-media savvy guy,'” Keeler prefaced before asking, “Sanders is on his phone selling everything to everyone, all the time. Shurmur thinks TikTok is the sound a watch makes after you wind it. What could possibly go wrong?”

Keeler predicted Colorado going 6-6 in 2024 with Shurmur calling the shots on the offensive side of the football.

“Asked Monday about the CFP next December, Sanders told 247Sports.com that ‘we plan on being in that situation,'” Keeler prefaced before saying, “With Pencil Pat calling the plays? Best plan for 6-6. Most likely.”

Hard to understand what Coach Prime is going for with his Colorado football coaching staff

With Deion Sanders retaining  Shurmur, it’s clear that experience is being prioritized for the Buffs coaching staff from a coordinator standpoint. On the other hand, though, Coach Prime has brought on coaching rookie Warren Sapp in a yet-to-be-defined role.

What exactly is Coach Prime going for in his coaching staff? Is he trying to let the experienced coordinators run the show for recruiting purposes, or is he trying to bring as many big-name ex-NFLers as he can to wow potential commits and their families?

Who knows, but let’s hope it all comes together and moves the needle in the right direction.