Byron Leftwich Joins Deion Sanders' Colorado Coaching Staff with Faulk, Sapp

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is joining Colorado's coaching staff, according to Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz.

Buffs head coach Deion Sanders introduced Leftwich to the team Wednesday:

The retired quarterback brings yet more pro experience to Boulder, Colorado. The Buffs hired Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk in February to coach that position. Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp is a senior quality control analyst for the defense as well.

Leftwich spent nine seasons in the NFL as a player and started his coaching career with the Arizona Cardinals in 2016. He was promoted to quarterbacks coach a year later and took over as the interim offensive coordinator in 2018 following the dismissal of Mike McCoy.

The Bucs hired Leftwich as their OC in 2019 and he helped to produce top-10 offenses in 2020 and 2021. Jameis Winston (2019) and Tom Brady (2021) each threw for more than 5,000 passing yards under his guidance.

An 8-9 finish in 2022 and 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round brought big changes to the coaching staff in Tampa Bay, though. Leftwich was among the assistants shown the door.

Leftwich's official role with Colorado is unclear since Pat Shurmur held the titles of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2024.

Developing freshman quarterback Julian Lewis is likely to be one of his duties. Lewis was a 4-star recruit and the No. 6 QB in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2024 class. He and Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter will be vying to replace likely first-round pick Shedeur Sanders under center.

Even assuming the more experienced Salter wins the job, Lewis figures to be a key piece toward Sanders achieving his long-term goals.