Coach Prime speaks out on new Colorado football OL coach hire

Coach Prime couldn't be hire on his Colorado football offensive line coach hiring of Phil Loadholt, who he lauded for bringing an impeccable resume to Boulder and revealed was already working with the coaching staff behind the scenes.

"Trust me, a guy with plenty of experience, plenty of wherewithal, able to communicate through all the kids, top to bottom," Deion Sanders said (h/t BuffStampede). "Track record is wonderful. Where he derived from is a tremendous Power 5 and I love everything about him. When he interviewed with me, he knocked it out of the park and he's ready and prepared. As a matter of fact, he's already in-house."

There was a belief that Loadholt could follow new Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby from Oklahoma according to Cowbell Corner's Colin James, but as that was being reported, as it turns out, Loadholt was already recruiting for the Buffs.

Phil Loadholt has difficult job ahead as Colorado football OL coach

As Denver Sports' Jake Shapiro relays, Loadholt will have his hands full taking over the offensive line group Bill O'Boyle left behind before bolting to San Diego State to follow demoted play-caller Sean Lewis.

"Loadholt’s job will be a tough one," Shapiro prefaced before saying, "He’s taking over an offensive line that allowed the most sacks and led to the fewest rushing yards in the country. On top of that, CU has already lost two of their starters on that line to the portal in Van Wells and Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan.

"What Loadholt does or doesn’t add will be under the watchful eye of Coach Prime, who will hope to protect his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, better in 2024. Sanders broke school records but broke his body in getting CU to 4-8 and it’s he who will likely be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft."

That line from Shapiro about Loadholt being under the watchful eye of Coach Prime definitely gives off the vibe that a poor job could lead to a midseason yank from his post; one not to dissimilar to Lewis's during the 2023 season.

Ideally, Sanders doesn't go down the road of making a midseason habit of firing offensive staffers who aren't helping his son Shedeur's draft stock.