Report: Colorado expected to officially add Byron Leftwich to coaching staff

Deion Sanders is expected to add Byron Leftwich to its coaching staff at Colorado, according to a report from the Denver Post. Leftwich is a former NFL quarterback and will likely work with the Buffaloes QBs in some capacity, though his official title has not been revealed.

Leftwich played 10 seasons in the NFL after the Jacksonville Jaguars selected in seventh overall in the 2003 NFL Draft out of Marshall. He spent four seasons with the Jaguars and to this day ranks fifth in franchise history in passing yards (9,042) and touchdowns (51).

Leftwich would later land up on the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, where he served as the backup to Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh went on to win a Super Bowl that season.

Leftwich retired from the NFL after the 2012 season and started a career in coaching four years later in 2016. His first role was an internship with the Arizona Cardinals, which later developed into a full-time role as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

Leftwich later joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive coordinator in 2019. The team won the Super Bowl in his second season as he worked with Tom Brady as his quarterback.

The Buccaneers decided to let Leftwich go following the 2022 season and he stayed away from coaching since. That is, until now as he will join Sanders, who is set to embark on his third season in Boulder.

It was previously reported in March that Leftwich was set to join the Buffaloes’ staff. However, the two sides were apparently still working things out over the next few months, with Sanders saying at Big 12 media days that he was “praying (Leftwich) does the right thing” and accepted the offer.

Colorado is coming off of a 9-4 record in 2024 but loses starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders to the NFL. The Buffaloes brought in transfer Kaidon Salter and four-star freshman Julian Lewis, who are currently a battle in the job. Leftwich will be a valuable mentor for both to have and help with the transition to a new signal caller in 2025.

This is the first career college job for Leftwich. During his college playing career with the Marshall Thundering Herd, Leftwich was nothing short of prolific and cemented his legacy as one of the best players ever to suit up in Huntington. For his career, he completed 65.1% of his passes for 11,903 passing yards, while tossing in 89 touchdowns with 28 interceptions.