Colorado Fires Football Coach Karl Dorrell, Defensive Coordinator

Following Saturday’s 43–20 loss to Arizona that saw Colorado fall to 0–5 on the season, the school has reportedly fired head coach Karl Dorrell, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Defensive coordinator Chris Wilson has also been fired.

Buffaloes offensive coordinator Mike Sanford will serve as interim head coach, per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

Colorado is one of two winless FBS teams through the season’s first five weeks. The Buffaloes have allowed an average of 43.2 points per game while scoring just 13.4 per game on offense. Colorado’s 23-point defeat against the Wildcats on Saturday was their smallest margin of defeat for the year.

Dorrell was in his third season at the helm in Boulder. He guided the Buffaloes to a 4–2 record in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, which concluded with a loss to Texas in the Alamo Bowl. Colorado went 4–8 last season, and Dorrell ends his career with the program at 8–15.

Dorrell had previously spent five years as the head coach at UCLA from 2003 to ’07, posting a 35–27 mark. In between head coaching stints, he spent time as an assistant with the Dolphins, Texans and Jets, with one season as the offensive coordinator at Vanderbilt in ’14.

Colorado has had just two winning seasons in the past 16 years, and has not won a bowl game since 2004.