Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders received glowing praise this offseason for hiring Sean Lewis as offensive coordinator and play-caller. Heading into the Buffaloes’ first game in November, Sanders has abruptly made a massive change to his coaching staff.
Lewis, only 37 years old, is one of the fastest-rising names in college football coaching circles. After serving as Syracuse’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2016-’17, he was hired by Kent State as a head coach. After going 2-10 in his first season, Kent State went 22-11 over the next four years, earning two bowl game appearances.
- Sean Lewis coaching record: 24-31 at Kent State
Related: College Football Picks Week 10
Already receiving some interest for head-coaching vacancies this offseason, Lewis instead left Kent State behind to become the Buffaloes’ offensive coordinator. Even with the help of the transfer portal and the arrival of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, Lewis’ creativity and football mind would need to help account for the Buffaloes’ thin pool of depth and talent.
- Colorado Buffaloes offense stats: 408.6 total yards per game, 32.1 points per game, 5.1 yards per play, 96.43% red-zone scoring rate
Yet he enjoyed great success through October. Entering college football games today, Colorado ranked 31st in scoring (32.1 points per game) and averaged over 400 total yards per game. However, the Buffaloes have reportedly made a change before facing the Oregon State Beavers.
According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network, Sanders and Colorado have stripped Lewis of his play-calling duties with quality control analyst Pat Shurmur taking over. While Lewis will still be allowed to signal the plays, a majority of his job as the architect of this offense is now gone.
Sanders’s decision comes after two consecutive losses, including a 28-16 defeat against UCLA that saw the Buffaloes score just 16 points. However, Lewis’s play-calling hasn’t seemed to be the primary cause of Colorado’s problems since starting the season 3-0.
Related: College Football Playoff picture
Under Lewis, Colorado had the fourth-highest scoring success rate in the end zone, finding the end zone or converting a field goal on 96.55 percent of trips. The Buffaloes also ranked 32nd in third-down conversion rate (43.09 percent), even ahead of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Because Shurmur isn’t currently an official part of the Buffaloes’ coaching staff, a move will need to be made. The 58-year-old called plays in the NFL with the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, but his success as a play-caller in the NFL fell off quickly over time.
The decision by Sanders to strip Lewis of play-calling duties likely guarantees the top offensive mind won’t return to the Colorado Buffaloes coaching staff in 2024. It also will raise questions about Sanders’ decision-making after his teams underperform.
On Saturday, Colorado faces an Oregon State defense that has allowed just 23.1 points per game this season. Furthermore, the Beavers’ unit ranks 26th in sack rate (8.46 percent) with just 241.4 passing yards per game allowed to opponents. Prior to Week 10, Shurmur had never called plays in a college football game with his last experience at the level coming in 1998 as Stanford’s offensive line coach.
