Deion Sanders will have two new coordinators for his second season as the head coach at Colorado.
On Saturday, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that defensive coordinator Charles Kelly is leaving the Buffaloes for a job at Auburn.
Earlier this month, offensive coordinator Sean Lewis left CU to become the head coach at San Diego State.
Carl Reed of 247Sports, who is close with Coach Prime, wrote on Twitter that he spoke with Sanders about Kelly’s move on Saturday morning.
“This was something that they both agreed upon,” Reed wrote. “Coach Prime is always for his coaches making the moves they feel are best for their careers and their family.
“But the Defensive Coordinator that is coming in, buckle up. … The commitment to providing an NFL atmosphere is evident with this move.”
In his one season with the Buffs, Kelly had some ups and downs with the defense.
CU was opportunistic in creating 20 turnovers (39th nationally) and was dramatically better than in 2022 at sacking the quarterback (27 sacks, up from a nation-worst nine in 2022). But, the Buffs ranked 124th in points allowed (34.8 per game) and 130th in yards allowed (453.3 per game).
Kelly came to CU last winter after four seasons as the associate defensive coordinator at Alabama. He previously worked at Tennessee, Florida State, Georgia Tech and other places. Kelly, 56, is an Auburn alum, playing defensive back for the Tigers in the late 1980s.