Deion Sanders holds strong opinion of Colorado football OC Pat Shurmur
Deion Sanders holds the highest of opinions on his Colorado football offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur.
Not only does Coach Prime believe in Shurmur's abilities as a coach, but he believes that the former Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings head coach has the ability to lead men.
“First of all, Coach Shurmur’s phenomenal,” Sanders said on ESPNU at Big 12 Media Days (h/t On3). “And the job that he did at the conclusion of last year, running someone else’s offense, was not easy, but he did and he did a great job, especially not having Shedeur for, I think, the final game, game and a half.
“Pat Shurmur is a pro. Pat Shurmur is a communicator. Pat Shurmur is a guy that’s relational that, once you get to know him, once he builds that relationship, you gonna want to play for him, you gonna want to hunt for him, you gonna want to kill for him. So he’s that type of guy and the relationship that he has with Shedeur, and understanding that what both of them want to accomplish on the field is poetry in motion. And then, it’s easy to communicate with him. … A pro understands the running game and how important the running game is. So, Pat is bringing a tremendous amount of experience and success to the table.”
Media does not hold same opinion of Colorado football OC Pat Shurmur
Coach Prime sees Shurmur differently than the talking heads do.
Nick Ferguson, formerly of BuffsBeat, called Shurmur's offense vanilla after two weeks on the job as the primary play-caller following Sean Lewis's demotion from Buffs full-time offensive coordinator to co-OC.
“Shurmur, a former NFL head coach, didn’t have much of an impact for the Buffs offense and seems pretty vanilla compared to Lewis’ scheme,” Ferguson wrote.
Mike Farrell (of the Mike Farrell Sports brand) believes that elevating Shurmur/demoting Lewis proved that Sanders isn't head coach material.
“Deion is an absolute fool for demoting Sean Lewis unless there’s something we don’t know,” Farrell prefaced before saying, “If this is personal then it shows he’s just not head coach material.”
Shurmur has a lot to prove in 2024 just like every other coach and player within the Colorado football program. The NFL could come calling again with a standout campaign, and if Shedeur Sanders thrives, he may be able to land a job at wherever the "Grown QB" goes in the 2025 NFL draft.