FIU steals an important part of Deion Sanders’ Colorado staff in Stephen Houston

Deion Sanders has done a good job of turning the Colorado Buffaloes into a premier destination for both recruits and coaches in just two years as the coach. However, that does not mean the team is immune from getting its own players or coaches poached by other teams.

On Monday, it was announced on X that Stephen Houston has been hired by FIU as a strength and conditioning coach. He was previously a strength and conditioning coach for the Colorado Buffaloes under Deion Sanders.

"BREAKING: Stephen Houston is HIRED to be a NEW FIU S&C Coach | BIG TIME HIRE for FIU. Stephen Houston is HIM. Definitely will help the players ON and OFF the field!"

Houston was a running back for Indiana from 2011 to 2013 before starting his NFL career. He then had a brief NFL journey with stints for the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens before retiring.

His coaching career started at the University of New Mexico, where he was from 2018 to 2020. He was then a strength and conditioning coach at Purdue from 2021 to 2023 before being hired by Deion Sanders to come to Colorado in 2024.

Deion Sanders adds Domato Peko to his coaching staff

While Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes lost Stephen Houston as their strength and conditioning coach, Coach Prime has been adding other members to his coaching staff. His coaching team has changed a lot during this offseason, and it is starting to look like a strong group.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Coach Prime added another member to his coaching staff with NFL experience. He hired Domato Peko as his new defensive line coach after Damione Lewis left the Buffaloes to go to Miami.

Peko had a long NFL career, from 2006 to 2020. He spent the 2024 season as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys.

Deion Sanders has been working to improve this coaching staff throughout this offseason. He has put an emphasis on hiring coaches with NFL experience. Peko joins two other signings with NFL experience this offseason.

Coach Prime signed Marshall Faulk as the team's next running backs coach. Faulk is a Pro Football Hall of Famer who won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams in 2000.

Additionally, he hired Andre Gurode as the assistant offensive line coach. He is best known for his time as a center for the Dallas Cowboys from 2002 to 2010.