Although Kelly never worked directly with Sanders, he coached Jimbo Fisher for five seasons at Florida State – Coach Prime’s alma mater – the last four of which as Fisher’s defensive coordinator for the Seminoles. It was at FSU that Kelly teamed up with Tim Brewster in Tallahassee, Florida for all five seasons.
Kelly has been on Saban’s staff for the past four years after spending a year with failed Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt. His first big break in college football came with a seven-year stint as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech.
Brewster, who was Coach Prime’s tight coach last year at undefeated Jackson State, will join Sanders to a staff spot in the Buffaloes program.
Sources with the Southwestern Athletic Conference on Saturday told FootballScoop that Sanders was expected to bring additional personnel from Jackson State to Colorado; those staffers include the Tigers’ current defensive coordinator, Dennis Thurman, a former nine-year NFL veteran who has turned the Tigers’ defensive groups into one of the best in the country at the football championship subdivision level; running backs coach Gary “Flea” Harrell; freshman JSU offensive play-caller Brett Bartolone; and off the field, Otis Ridley – JSU’s current director of player personnel – is seen as a first choice to join Sanders in a similar role within the Buffs program.
Harrell had a short professional career in the NFL, with the New York Giants, as well as in the Canadian football and world football leagues. He was previously a head coach at the FCS level and began making an upward path in coaching when he joined the Florida Atlantic University staff of Lane Kiffin in January 2017.
Bartolone, a former Washington State protégé of Mike Leach who transitioned to coaching after an injury ended his playing career, Bartolone has been widely praised by Sanders this season for turning around the Tigers’ stagnant offense and helping JSU quarterback Shedeur Sanders , the son of Coach Prime, while rewriting the textbooks.
Furthermore, Prime took corners coach Kevin Mathis and linebackers coach Andre Hart to Colorado last night. Stay tuned for more on their roles.
Sanders’ announcement Saturday night that he had accepted the position in Colorado, followed by the school’s own press release formally announcing the hiring of Coach Prime, has already resonated with the hiring process. Robert Lockhart, a three-star wide receiver prospect in the Class of 2023 who had previously verbally committed to Sanders and Jackson State, announced late Saturday night that his recruiting was “100% open again.”
A resident of Fairburn, Georgia, it’s worth noting that among the oral offers Lockhart already had was one from… the University of Colorado.
More on this will follow during the day. As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest coaching news.
Also add this…
