According to Matt Zenitz, Colorado football coach Deion Sanders plans to replace the current defensive coordinator with Robert Livingston, the safeties coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. Regarded as a renowned figure in the NFL, Livingston assisted Cincinnati in finishing third in the league in pass touchdowns allowed the previous season and eighth in interceptions in 2023.
Livingston joins Boulder following nine years as a member of the Bengals coaching staff with the expected hire. He worked largely with the team’s safeties for six of his eight years as the franchise’s secondary coach. Before, he was a scout for the Bengals, covering the Southeast and assessing defensive backs all across the country, but focusing especially on the SEC and ACC.
Livingston has previously worked as a college coach at Furman and Vanderbilt. He began his coaching career in 2010 with the Paladins, especially dealing with their safeties. He was employed by the Commodores in 2011 as a defensive quality control coach.
A graduate of William & Mary and a former college football safety, Livingston guided the growth of several successful pass defenders in the NFL, most notably the safety tandem of Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III. During Livingston’s tenure, those defensive backs were routinely at the top of the Bengals’ tackle leaderboard, if not above it. They belong to a group that consistently forces the opposition quarterback to complete passes at among the lowest rates in the entire league.
The anticipated coaching change at Colorado takes over a crucial position on the staff that was left empty when Charles Kelly left the team to accept a job at Auburn as a co-defensive coordinator. Kelly produced a mixed bag of results when she joined Sanders’ first Colorado crew. The Buffaloes had 20 takeaways and played a strong brand of defense, but they also gave up the fewest yards per game in the FBS, ranking fourth.
With this hire, Colorado’s defensive staff will have undergone two changes this summer. After Nick Williams left the program to become a staff member at Syracuse, Sanders addressed the void by elevating Vincent Dancy to the position of outside linebackers coach.
Over the past few months, the offensive staff has also undergone numerous changes. Midway through the season, Sanders relieved Sean Lewis of his offensive coordinator duties; Lewis subsequently left to become head coach at San Diego State. Pat Shurmur assumed the role of play-caller for the Buffaloes. In Week 9, Sanders also gave Tim Brewster, the tight ends coach, an off-field position.
Colorado attempted to improve play on both sides of the ball by making coaching and personnel adjustments. Sanders stressed the importance of improving run-stopping, so the Buffaloes made a number of defensive additions, including four-star defensive linemen Samuel Okunlola and Quency Wiggins. Last season, the Buffaloes gave up 176.4 yards per game on the run on average.
