"I’m thrilled to be here”: Colorado DC opens up on latest NFL interests while giving big shoutout to Deion Sanders' program

The Colorado Buffaloes defense has become a strong part of their team under defensive coordinator Robert Livingston. Livingston was hired by the Buffaloes in 2024 and was able to immediately turn around a defense that struggled in the season before.

This garnered a lot of attention from NFL teams who were looking to obtain his services.

However, Livingston rejected all of these in order to stay in Boulder with the Buffaloes. He spoke about the decision to do this during a press conference on Tuesday.

“This is a phenomenal place, and I’m thrilled to be here,” he said.

Livingston came into a Colorado program that had just come off another poor season. They finished with a 4-8 record and only won one game in conference play. This was the first season with Deion Sanders, so even the likes of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter (both whom Deion brought in) could not help the program.

The defense was the problem. The 2023 Buffaloes defense was ranked 124th out of 133 programs and conceded around 35 points a game on average. This made them one of the worst defenses not only in the Power Five conferences but also in the country.

A change was needed, and this was something Livingston was able to bring. Under him, one of the worst defenses became a lot better and was ranked as the 42nd best in the country, allowing on average 23.1 points per game.

This much improved defense, paired with the immensely strong offense that the Buffaloes had last season meant that they were able to record a nine-win season, their best for some time, and made a bowl game.

Robert Livingston has a new contract with Colorado

Despite having numerous offers to return to the NFL, Robert Livingston decided to remain. His contribution was rewarded by a new contract extension with Colorado.

Speaking about his gratitude for the program, Livingston told the press conference on Tuesday:

"This is a special place and they gave me a chance. So that’s never lost on me, I kind of joke around, say I was a dog on the side of the road that people drove by and said, that’s a good looking dog, but we’re good. And they brought me in and they changed my life.”

Under his new contract, Livingston becomes the highest paid assistant coach in the history of the Colorado Buffaloes program.

His contract is for two seasons, and he will earn $1.5 million this season, with that figure increasing to $1.6 million in 2026.

These figures may be high for a defensive coordinator, but this reflects the impact and success that Livingston has had and will continue to have on the Buffaloes program.