- Deion Sanders has removed play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
- The change occurred after Colorado’s loss to Utah on October 25.
- Passing game coordinator Brett Bartolone has taken over as the new play-caller.
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders stripped play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur after the Buffaloes lost at Utah Oct. 25, demoting him to quarterbacks coach before the team got beat again last week against Arizona, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.
The person didn’t want to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation. The person said Colorado tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Brett Bartolone has called plays instead of Shurmur since the Utah game.
Colorado didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment. But Sanders hinted at coaching staff changes Tuesday during his weekly news conference in Boulder. His team is 3-6 this season and has struggled with quarterback play this year since losing Sanders’ son Shedeur to the NFL.
“I might have already changed it, and you don’t know,” Sanders said. “I don’t do stuff and blow the whistles and make major announcements.”
Deion Sanders has demoted his play-caller before
It marks the second time in three seasons Sanders has demoted his offensive play-caller during the season. In 2023, he promoted Shurmur to co-offensive coordinator to call plays while taking away play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Sean Lewis. The Buffs were 4-4 at the time after starting the season 3-0. They finished the season at 4-8, and Lewis left to become head coach of San Diego State, where his team is now 7-1.
Shurmur joined the Colorado staff in 2023 as analyst after previously serving as head coach of the NFL’s New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. He served as Colorado’s offensive coordinator and play-caller since then and helped lead the team to a 9-4 record in 2024.
In his place as play-caller last week, Bartolone took over against Arizona, a game the Buffs lost 52-17. Bartolone played college football under offensive mastermind Mike Leach at Washington State and went on to work for Sanders as his offensive coordinator when Sanders was head coach at Jackson State.
Both Shurmur and Bartolone will try to break the Buffs’ skid at West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 8 with a new starting quarterback — freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis, who will be making his first college start.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com