Deion Sanders on having pro experience on staff: 'It's hard to take somebody where you've never been'

As Deion Sanders got ready for his second season as Colorado head coach, he overhauled the coaching staff. In the process, he brought in plenty of NFL experience – 159 years worth, to be exact, he said during Big 12 Media Days.

But as he continues to build the program in Boulder, “Coach Prime” wants to make sure he’s setting his players up for success at the next level. That starts with having coaches who know what it’s like, even though he’s been there before, as well.

While Sanders noted Colorado has coaches with plenty of college experience on board, he wanted to also create an NFL feel around the facility. That’s why he brought in coaches such as Pat Shurmur and Robert Livingston as his new coordinators.

“I’m a pro, man,” Sander said on NFL Network’s The Insiders. “Through thick and the thin, I’m a pro. And I think at another level – we have some tremendous college coaches on our staff. But when it comes to the coordinating and it comes to the majority of the staff, I want to be around guys that have been there, guys that have done that. Because our lights are bright, man. And I can’t have guys getting big, you’re getting a little sensitive, you’re getting a little salty, you’re getting a little afraid when the things light up over there on that sideline.

“So I like pros because we’ve been there, we’ve done that and we understand one another. That’s not taking nothing against our collegiate coaches that we have on staff. But I think right now … we have over 140-some years of pro experience on the sidelines, and that’s relatable to where these young men want to go. It’s hard to take somebody where you’ve never been.”

Coach Prime adds NFL experience to coordinator spots

Shurmur came on board last season as an offensive analyst and eventually took over play-calling before replacing Sean Lewis as coordinator of Colorado’s high-powered offense, led by Shedeur Sanders. He made a name for himself at the NFL level as the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos before opting to team up with Deion Sanders at Colorado.

As for Livingston, he most recently spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals as secondary coach as part of his eight years with the franchise. He’ll look to overhaul a Colorado defense that struggled last year and carry over his success in Cincinnati.

Of course, Colorado also has Hall of Famer Warren Sapp joining the staff, as well, to add more NFL chops to the program. With some potential top draft picks on the roster, Sanders is looking to set his players up for success in the league as the continues to build the foundation.