Colorado Football Coaches Salaries are Deion Sanders - $5.5 million, Karl Dorrell - $3.6 million and Mel Trucker - $2.4 million.

Sanders became one of the highest-paid head coaches. He signed this deal in 2022, where he shall make $5.5 million in the first year, and each year the salary cap shall be increased by $200k.

Karl Dorrell (2020) was the coach of Colorado where he was paid $3.2 million in the first year. Dorrell was also awarded with $200,000 annual increase. However, Karl and defensive coordinator Chris Wilson were sacked due to the lackluster performance of the Buffaloes in the 2022 season. 

Similarly, should Sanders leave Colorado University then he shall be liable to pay $15 million in the 1st term, $10 million in the 2nd, and $8 million in the 3rd. 

Besides, if Sanders gets fired without a cause then the school shall owe him 75% of his contract salary. 

Colorado Football Coaches History

Maclntyre (right) receiving warm welcome from Florida school after accepting the position of head coach of the University in 2023
Source : instagram

Colorado Football head coaches were Harry Heller, Fred Folsom, T.C. Mortimer, Dave Cropp, and Willis Keinholtz. Deion Sanders is the present coach, he joined Buffaloes in 2023. 

Head CoachSalary (yearly average)
Deion Sanders$5.5 Million
Karl Dorrell$3.6 Million
Mel Trucker$2.4 Million
Mike Maclntyre$2 Million
Jon Embree$725,000
Dan Hawkins$900,000
Gary Barnett$350,000
Rick Neuheisel$650,000
Bill McCartney$350,000

Deion Sanders (2023 - present)

Sanders has signed a lucrative contract with the UC but as the saying goes "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" Sanders needs to prove his worth in order to not get sacked. 

Nonetheless, he has an impressive resume as a player and coach, the former NFL player mentored Jackson State in 2022, where he led the team to win the SWAC East division championship consecutively while finishing their season remaining undefeated. 

Sanders Day of Testament shall start in September 2023 and end by the December of this year. Looking back, there are few coaches who have fulfilled their tenure at the UC. 

Karl Dorrell (2020 - 2022)

Dorrell was the 27th coach of the Boulders but he failed to live up to the hype and expectation. After joining Boulders, he lead the Covid season with a 4-1 record which was the best achievement of the university since 2016. 

Unfortunately, the 2022 season saw a loss of 0-5 at the start of the season, thus Dorrell was sacked by the CU. Also, Dorrell's shoving a photojournalist in the field might have played a role in his prompt firing. 

Mel Tucker (2019)

Tucker signed a contract of $14.8 million, with an annual salary of $2.4 million and a yearly increase of $275,000 but he was fired by the state university due to no improvement in the team's record. 

After leaving Buffaloes, he signed a deal with Michigan the State for six years with an average salary of $5.5 million which was more than double, the earnings offered by the UC. 

Mike Maclntyre (2013 - 2018)

Maclntyre brought the success and the past glory of the university. He led Buffaloes to the 27-22 victory against UCLA, which was the first Pac-12 South Division Championship in the school in the school's history. 

Maclntyre originally signed a $2 million base salary contract with additional incentives but after winning the Coach of the Year Award and receiving different accolades. He signed a $16.25 million but was soon due fired to the six-game losing streak the team had. 

On the other hand, he joined Ole Miss in 2018 and performed the duties of Defensive Coordinator, where the football team's defense improved dramatically. 

Jon Embree (2011 - 2012)

Embree was shortly terminated after losing the record of the team. It was considered the worst record in the school's history where they had 4 wins and 21 losses in 2011 and one win and 11 losses in 2012. 

Jon signed a contract less than his predecessor Dan Hawkins. It is believed that he received a pay of $725,000 yearly with added incentives. 

Colorado Football Assistant Coaches

Gary Harrell coach of Colorado promoting is new job in his social media in December 2022
Source : facebook

Colorado Football Assistant Coaches' salary cap for 2023 was above $5 million which is one million higher than the previous salary. It is believed that Colorado's assistants are taking home an average of $400,000 yearly earnings. 

  • Gary Harrell: Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs coach
  • Charles Kelly: Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
  • Sean Lewis: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback
  • Brett Bartolone: Assistant Coach/Wide Receivers
  • Tim Brewsters: Assistant Coach/Tight Ends
  • Andre'Hart: Assistant Coach/Linebackers
  • Kevin Mathis: Assistant Coach/Cornerbacks
  • Bill O'Boyle: Assistant Coach Offensive Line
  • Sal Sunseri: Assistant Coach/Defensive Tackles
  • Nick Williams: Assistant Coach/Defensive Ends
  • Tersoo Uhaa: Assistant Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
  • Stephen Houston: Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
  • Branton Reyes: Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
  • Rendrick Taylor: Assistant & Conditioning Coach

Gary Harrell (Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach)

Harrell is the assistant coach of Boulder. He is an experienced mentor who played in the NFL as a wide receiver. he only played four games with New York Giants in 1994-95 in his career. 

Before, joining Colorado, he was a Wide Receiver coach for Howard, Texas Southern, and Florida A&M. Later, he transitioned to QB coach for Morgan State and became offensive coordinator for Bowie State. 

Since 2019, he has performed the duties of assistant head coach as well as running back coach. He was together with Dieon in Jackson State thus he was again hired by him to help out with the Buffaloes. 

Charles Kelly (Defensive Coordinator/Safety)

Kelly after joining the staff of Sanders, he was congratulated by the university's social media and welcomed by thousands of fans
Source : instagram

Kelly is the defensive coordinator as well as the safety instructor for Colorado State. He won a national championship with the Florida State Seminoles in 2013. 

Charles had a short career as a player thus he has mainly remained an NFL coach in the last thirty years. He also won a championship as an assistant coach with the University of Alabama. 

That said, he has a good record as an offensive and defensive coordinator thus there are chances for Colorado to significantly improve this season. 

Sean Lewis (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback)

Sean played as a Kick returner and a tight end with the University of Wisconsin. However, after 2007, he began his coaching career where he was mainly mentored as an offensive coordinator. 

On the other hand, Lewis also has experience working as a Tight end, Wide Receiver, and QB coach. Before, joining Boulders he was part of the Kent State football coaching staff.

Colorado Football Head Coach

Sanders aka Coach Prime sponsored by Nike, he is promoting the product in his social media
Source : instagram

Colorado Football Head Coach is Deion Sanders who is known for his successful playing NFL career with Falcons, 49ers, Redskins, Ravens, and others. He is among the few NFL player turned coach with a successful career in both ends. 

Sanders was also known as "Prime Time" after he scored 30 points in a basketball game. Thus, he is a well-versed athlete, playing both football and basketball. 

Playing Career

In his playing career, he achieved success with the 49ers, when they won the 1994 Super Bowl. Sanders was also part of the Cowboys during their 1996 Super Bowl Championship over Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Deion also earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1994. He has a list of accolades with the five teams that he played throughout his 16 years of NFL career. 

Coaching Career

Before his career as a coach, he shortly worked as an NFL analyst but accepted the job of Triple A Academy as its head coach and also became offensive coordinator for Trinity Christian High School.

Moreover, in 2020, he became the 21st head coach of the Jackon State Tigers which was the team in the NCAA's second level. In the 2021-22 season, he led the Tigers twice in the SWAC title. 

Colorado State is also expecting a similar level of change and success in the hands of Sanders. UC has been experiencing losses and dismal results from its players in the last five years.