Getty University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.
The University of Colorado will have not one but two Pro Football Hall of Famers on its coaching staff in 2024 with the addition of Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Warren Sapp.
The university confirmed to BuffZone’s Brian Howell that Sapp would join head coach and fellow Hall of Famer Deion Sanders’ staff as a graduate assistant. Sapp completed the requirements to get into Colorado’s graduate school in 2023.
Sapp and Sanders are both south Florida natives and longtime friends.
“From the time that Coach Prime was hired by CU, Sapp has expressed interest in joining the staff and he spent some time around the Buffs last season,” Howell wrote. “He cleared a big hurdle in that quest by completing his undergraduate degree in December, graduating from Texas Seminary Christian University.”
YouTube Video Shows Warren Sapp’s Introduction to Buffs
Sapp’s introduction to the Buffaloes was first seen in a video titled “Coach Sapp is FINALLY Here: First Day Back After The Break” posted to Well Off Media on YouTube, which is the channel run by one of Sanders’ sons, Deion Sanders Jr.
“Senior quality control analyst, it’s a mouthful, and you’ll hear me before you see me most of the time,” Sapp said to the team. “But what we gonna do is, big fellas – stance, alignment and assignment … We’re gonna pour concrete because you know I like nice stuff. And we’re building mansions here, so that’s why I’m here – to help you build your mansion.”
This is Sapp’s first coaching position and as a graduate assistant, he’ll be permitted to do on-field coaching with the Buffaloes.
Sanders, widely considered the greatest cornerback in NFL history, went 4-8 in his first season as Colorado’s head coach in 2023. Before coming to Boulder, Sanders went 27-6 in three seasons at Jackson State.
Warren Sapp is One of Buccaneers’ All-Time Greats
At the University of Miami, Sapp was a two-time All-American and won the Nagurski Trophy and the Lombardi Award as well as being named Big East Defensive Player of the Year in 1994.
The Buccaneers selected Sapp with the No. 12 overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft and he played 13 seasons in the NFL — nine with the Bucs and four more with the Oakland Raiders.
In his first nine seasons in Tampa Bay, Sapp was a six-time NFL All-Pro, NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 and led the franchise to its first Super Bowl championship in 2002. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013 in his first year of eligibility and both he and Sanders were named to the NFL 100th Anniversary Team in 2019.
Sapp is one of four Colorado assistants with NFL playing experience.
“Both of CU’s coordinators — Pat Shurmur (offense) and Robert Livingston (defense) — are veteran NFL coaches,” Howell wrote. “Offensive line coach Phil Loadholt, cornerbacks coach Kevin Mathis and receivers coach Jason Phillips are also former NFL players.”