Colorado’s Deion Sanders Says Warren Sapp Will Join His Coaching Staff

The Pro Football Hall of Famer is expected to be in tow on Sanders’s Colorado Buffaloes football coaching staff in 2024.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders says Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp will join his Buffaloes coaching staff in 2024.

Although the announcement has yet to be made official by the school, Sanders announced the pending addition during his weekly coach’s show this week.

“I’m excited about Coach Sapp,” Sanders said Wednesday. “He’s a dear friend that I love to life, and he’s going to be invaluable to what he brings to the table … as far as the recruits as well, they’re going to love him.”

Sapp has been around the Buffaloes this year in an unofficial capacity, and Sanders discussed the impact that Sapp already has made when he’s been around the players, included one specific moment earlier this year.

“After practice, he was in the hot tub with the whole darn defensive line, and he was just going over stuff and it was unbelievable. … There’s probably 4,000 pounds in the hot tub,” Sanders said.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp is poised to join the Colorado football coaching staff next season :: Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today Sports

It’s unclear what Sapp’s official role will be, but it’s safe to assume he’ll play a large role in coaching the defensive line.

The Buffaloes are 4–7 on the season and wrap up their first year with Sanders at the helm this Saturday at Utah, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. ET in Salt Lake City. Although Colorado fell short of bowl eligibility, the improvement from one win in 2022 to four this season shows that Sanders’s rebuild is in gear. 

Year two will be pivotal for Sanders and the Buffs, and the addition of Sapp to the coaching staff likely will be a boon to the team’s defensive outlook heading into 2024.