Former Coach Prime hire opens up on relationship with Colorado football HC

Mike Zimmer, a former Jackson State staffer Coach Prime hired in 2022, opened up about his relationship with the Colorado football head coach during an appearance on NFL+ show 'The Insiders' -- calling their relationship "unique but great."

“Deion and I have a very interesting and unique but great relationship,” said Zimmer (h/t BuffsBeat). “He’s gonna get the guys in there he wants, he's an outstanding recruiter. He's a terrific man who treats his players with the utmost respect. He can discipline them and wants them to be better people than just football players as they move forward." 

The long-time NFL veteran coach was rumored to have accepted a coaching job under Deion Sanders at Colorado but was never part of the staff in an official capacity. As BuffsBeat's Brian Schaible points out, Zimmer's nephew was brought on to the Buffs by Coach Prime.

Colorado football target Mike Zimmer talks love of coaching

Though Zimmer may never end up at CU, he certainly speaks about coaching in a way that'd make him a glove fit for Sanders' program. Zimmer spoke at great lengths about his love of developing players and coaching in general.

“The biggest thing is I love to teach, I love to coach,” Zimmer told host Tom Pelissero. “When I was a head coach I was trying to teach the players, and get them better, by teaching them about the game of football and not just their position….I think it’s something that’s just in your blood. My dad was a high school coach for a long, long, time. I love being around the players and I love the challenge of trying to make an organization better and get them where we need to go.”

With the defensive coordinator job now open with Charles Kelly's departure, perhaps Zimmer could re-emerge on Colorado's radar.