Colorado coach Deion Sanders was forced to shuffle his staff ahead of spring practice after defensive coordinator Robert Livingston was hired by the Denver Broncos as their new defensive pass game coordinator, per ESPN.
Livingston spent the past two seasons leading the Buffaloes’ defense, including their nine-win season in 2024, but is now heading back to the NFL. Livingston worked for the Cincinnati Bengals, first as a scout and then as a defensive assistant, from 2012 to 2023 before joining Sanders’ staff in Boulder. Livingston spent two seasons working under Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph early in his career.
Livingston’s departure is a significant blow for Colorado, and Sanders has elevated linebackers coach Chris Marve to the defensive coordinator, according to multiple reports. Marve previously was the defensive coordinator at Virginia Tech from 2022-24 before coming to Colorado. Marve also had stints as a defensive assistant at Florida State, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
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Colorado had a dismal 2025 season, going 3-9 overall and just 1-8 in Big 12 play, as the drop-off after losing Heisman Trophy-winning two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders was dramatic.
Sanders, after inheriting a major rebuilding job, has gone 16-21 over three seasons leading the program. The Buffs went 4-8 in Year 1 before a breakthrough 9-4 record in 2024. After last year’s stumble, Sanders proclaimed that he’s the “right man for the job” in Boulder while outgoing athletic director Rick George consistently backed his coach.
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Last month, Colorado hired Fernando Lovo from New Mexico as its new athletic director after George decided to transition into an advisory role. Patience is at an all-time low for high-priced college coaches who don’t produce winning seasons. With a new athletic director in place, Sanders faces pressure to deliver a turnaround for the program in 2026. And now he’ll do it without Livingston, his proven defensive coordinator.
Sanders has to hope Marve is the right man to lead a new-look defense that took on 25 transfers in this year’s portal window in an effort to bounce back and build out that side of the ball.
