Buffs OC Shurmur Aims For More Consistent, Dynamic Offense

BOULDER — Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur isn't starting from scratch this spring.

Although he's in his first full year in the position — he took over as the play caller for the Buffaloes' final four games last year — he didn't enter spring ball with the idea of making everything new again in Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' second season in Boulder.

"Some of the things that we did well, we'll try to incorporate and keep going with," Shurmur told the media at a recent press conference. "But then there's obviously other things that we're going to that are going to be way different. Basically we're going to go back and look at the things that we did well last year that we continue to like, and then add things to it that will help us be even better."

The Buffs did some things very well last year on offense, particularly early in the season. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders finished 10th in the nation in passing yards per game (293.64) and tied for 12th in the nation in touchdown passes (27) despite playing injured down the stretch.

But Colorado also finished at or near the bottom of the nation in several key categories, including dead last in rushing yards per game (68.9) and 129th in sacks allowed (56).

Those are areas the Buffs must improve if they are going to take the next step from last season's 4-8 finish in Coach Prime's first year.

"Now we're able to kind of set some stakes in the ground and do some things that we need to do better to play winning football," Shurmur said. "Winning football is what you need to do and it obviously starts by being able to run the ball and protect the passer."

Shurmur brings a wealth of experience to CU, albeit the vast majority of it in the NFL. While he did coach in the college ranks early in his career (Michigan State and Stanford), he moved to the NFL in 1999 and spent the next two decades there, including stints as the head coach with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants.

Prior to CU, his most recent stop had been as the Denver Broncos' offensive coordinator in 2020-21. He had stepped away from the game for a year before getting a call from Sanders last summer, offering him a spot as an offensive analyst.

Shurmur accepted the offer and served in that role for CU's first eight games in 2023. But when the offense began to struggle, Sanders made a change and elevated Shurmur to co-offensive coordinator, taking play-calling duties from Sean Lewis and handing them to Shurmur.

Lewis departed in the offseason, taking the head coaching job at San Diego State. Shurmur took the reins as offensive coordinator and he now has the task of getting the most out of a potentially explosive offense, led by Shedeur.

"We need to protect the passer and run the ball much better than we did last year," Shurmur acknowledged. "And so you have to practice those things. But we still have to utilize the strengths of a dynamic quarterback and throw the ball. So it's gonna be fun."

One of the top priorities for Colorado in the offseason was beefing up the offensive line. CU did just that, adding several key players via the transfer portal as well as one of the nation's top high school recruits, Jordan Seaton.

After just one week of practice — the Buffs resume spring drills next week after taking this week off for spring break — the results are promising, with the No. 1 unit featuring five new faces.

Shurmur has worked with a number of quality quarterbacks throughout his career, including Donovan McNabb, Sam Bradford and Nick Foles.

Now he will work with a quarterback who is already being projected as possibly the No. 1 quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.

"He's got an uncanny ability to throw the ball accurately," Shurmur said of Shedeur. "He sees things extremely well. He's got a really good feel for situations … that three-dimensional, natural feel for what's open, what's not, where to put the ball. That's why he's fun to work with. He has a really good feel for all those things that you need to be able to do as a quarterback and so we just got to improve on all those things."

Of course, Shurmur's duties reach far beyond the quarterback room. He also has a quality group of running backs, led by returnees Dylan Edwards and Alton McCaskill, a well-stocked wide receivers room and more tight end depth.

The receivers group is still led by returnees Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr., with newcomers Will Sheppard (Vanderbilt), LaJohntay Wester (Florida Atlantic) and freshman Kam Mikell already making an impression. Transfer Chamon Metayer (Cincinnati) gives the Buffs some much-needed beef at tight end while newcomers Seaton, Justin Mayers (UTEP), Yakiri Walker (UConn), Kahlil Benson (Indiana) and Tyler Johnson (Houston) are among those battling for spots up front.  

"Every place I've been I've tried to spread the ball around and make sure everybody was getting their touches," Shurmur said. "We've added bodies and pieces and young men that have the skill set to be able to do more of those things."