Deion Sanders has added two more familiar names to Colorado’s staff, bringing former NFL players Pierson Prioleau and Xavier Adibi in as defensive quality control analysts.
Both coaches come over from Virginia Tech, where they also crossed paths with Colorado defensive coordinator Chris Marve. Prioleau will make $100,000 in his new job, while Adibi’s salary is $85,000, according to USA Today’s Brent Schrotenboer.
The additions fit right into what has already been a hectic offseason in Boulder. Sanders has talked up his coaching staff’s confidence after Colorado put together the busiest transfer portal in college football, and the roster churn has been matched by movement on the sideline. The Buffaloes have added 40 transfer players, along with several new coaches.
Prioleau brings a long playing résumé to the role. He spent 12 years in the NFL as a safety, was taken in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, and won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2009.
After his playing career, he spent seven years coaching at Virginia Tech, his alma mater. In 2019, he was the school’s director of player development, then moved up to safeties coach in 2022.
Adibi’s path looks similar. He played five seasons in the NFL as a linebacker after the Houston Texans picked him in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
He, too, is a Virginia Tech alum. He joined the Hokies’ staff in 2022 as a defensive analyst, became an associate linebackers coach in 2024, and was an inside linebackers coach in 2025.
Before that, he spent three seasons as defensive coordinator at Texas A&M Commerce.
Colorado’s defensive staff isn’t the only place getting a new face. Brennan Marion is coming in as offensive coordinator from Sacramento State, taking over for Pat Shurmur. Marion has already brought in DeAndre Moore II, a receiver he recruited and coached at Texas.
There’s also continuity in Boulder. Former NFL and Ohio State safety Vonn Bell arrived in January under then-defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, and he’ll stay on as a quality control analyst while also coaching safeties.
The departures have been notable, too. Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is now the head coach at Southern Jaguars after one season in Colorado as running backs coach. Warren Sapp is also gone after two seasons with the Buffaloes; he served as defensive pass-rush coordinator during the 2025-26 season and said he was leaving to pursue other opportunities.
For Colorado, the staff shuffle has created a web of reunions. Prioleau will work with Marve again, just as he did at Virginia Tech when Marve was defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. Marion and Moore are set to reconnect as well, with the wide receiver back under his former offensive coordinator.
That mix of old ties and new faces is exactly what Sanders seems to be banking on as Colorado heads toward Sept. 3, when the Buffaloes open the season against Georgia Tech.
In Other News...
Why Colorado Fans Are Starting To Doubt The Doubters
National expectations for Colorados 2026 season have cooled fast, with some national voices now projecting a losing record and no path to the playoff conversation. But around Boulder, the response has been less panic than pushback, because Deion Sanders has kept adding pieces through recruiting and the transfer portal while reshaping the staff around him for another run at relevance.
The optimism starts with the new faces, from multiple four-star recruits to offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, whose track record has fans believing the offense can be more dynamic. Colorado also has a schedule that will demand real proof early, and Sanders has already adjusted his recruiting operation with additions like Darrius Darden-Box and Rashad Rich, leaving the bigger question hanging: whether all of that talent and staffing can be enough to change the national story before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Why Ben Finneseth Suddenly Matters So Much To Colorado's Bounce Back
At Big 12 football media days, Ben Finneseth made it clear Colorados reset is going to start in the locker room, not on a billboard. The veteran safety talked about player accountability and leadership as the foundation for a team trying to move past a difficult season, and Deion Sanders has pointed to Finneseth as one of the voices helping drive that message. For a program that has spent plenty of time under the microscope, the emphasis now is on a player-led mentality and finding a way to finish the kind of games that slipped away last fall.
Colorado also has a little extra edge heading into camp after being left off the preseason All-Big 12 team entirely. That kind of snub can become background noise quickly if a team starts winning, but the Buffs are still carrying the burden of proving they can handle pressure and close out tight games. Finneseths role matters because this is no longer just about talent or attention, it is about whether the group inside the building can set a standard that changes the way everyone else sees them. [Read more 🡒]
This Veteran Buff Is Starting To Feel Like A Future Staffer
Ben Finneseth has become one of those veteran Colorado players who seems to fit every layer of the program. Entering his sixth season with the Buffaloes in 2026 as a defensive back, he is not just part of the on-field mix anymore. He has also been active in the teams recruiting efforts, especially as Colorado has worked through the 2027 cycle and tried to build on the momentum it has created on the trail.
The Buffs have seen that class climb in the national and Big 12 rankings, a sign that the pitch is landing with more prospects than it did a year ago. Finneseths role in that process has only added to the sense that he is becoming more than a player in the building, and it is easy to see why some around the program view him as a name to watch once his playing days are over. [Read more 🡒]