Deion Sanders bets big on new defensive coach: What to know about his Colorado contract

At age 38, new Colorado defensive coordinator Robert Livingston has never been a defensive coordinator at any level before now and hasn’t coached at the college level since 2011, when he worked an entry-level job at Vanderbilt. But last week, he signed a two-year contract that is set to make him Colorado’s highest-paid assistant coach ever next year at $995,000 in 2025, according to records obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Livingston, the former defensive backs coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, will make $800,000 this year under head football coach Deion Sanders in a deal that highly incentivizes him to stay in Boulder in the event he is tempted to leave for other offers.

“I can promise you we’re going to do great things,” Livingston said in a video posted by the university Thursday.

How do his terms compare at Colorado and elsewhere?

Livingston’s two-year deal is similar to that of the coach he’s replacing – veteran assistant Charles Kelly, who left for a similar job at Auburn but had a three-year deal at Colorado averaging $900,000 per year through Jan. 31, 2026. Livingston’s guaranteed pay for next year still would make him CU’s highest-paid assistant ever for a single year.

This allocation stems from an agreement the university made with Sanders to set aside a guaranteed $5 million annually as a total salary pool for all assistant football coaches.

“This amount may be allocated by Sanders in consultation with and subject to the written approval of the Athletics Director,” Sanders’ contract states.

The expiration date on Livingston’s contract (Jan. 31, 2026) also is the same for new full-time offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and new wide receivers coach Jason Phillips. It converges with a clause in Sanders’ contract that sets up the next two seasons as a time to assess contract extensions beyond that.

Sanders’ contract runs through Dec. 31, 2027, but says he will hold discussions after the 2025 season to discuss a potential extension and changes in terms, including for his pay and potential buyout.

The new full-time coordinators at Colorado still earn far less than what the top-paid public-school coaches earned nationally last year in guaranteed pay, according to USA TODAY Sports' assistant coaches' pay database. Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb both earned about $2 million in guaranteed pay. Among the top-paid assistants in the future Big 12 Conference, Utah’s Andy Ludwig was set to earn $1.85 million in 2023.

What will Deion Sanders' other new coaches earn?

Colorado officially announced coaching staff changes last week. USA TODAY Sports obtained the contracts, which detail the terms of their employment:

∎ Shurmur, a former NFL head coach, was set to make $50,000 as an off-the-field analyst last year at Colorado but will make $800,000 in his first full season as offensive coordinator. Next year, he will make $850,000. That’s slightly less than the coach he is replacing, Sean Lewis, who left to become head coach at San Diego State. Before he left, Lewis had a three-year deal averaging $900,000 year, including what would have been $900,000 this year and $950,000 next year.

∎ Livingston is considered a rising prospect in the coaching profession, leading Colorado to set up his contract to keep him from leaving for another job anytime soon. His pay jumps from $800,000 to $995,000 next year. The contract also says if he takes an NCAA or NFL position during the first 120 days of his new job, he would owe the university liquidated damages of 80% of his salary. After that, he would owe 25% of his pay if he left for another job.

However, those damages would be waived if he takes an undeniable step up in his career – as an NFL head coach or college head coach. Similarly, if he takes an NFL defensive coordinator job in the second year of his contract, those damages also are waived.

∎ New offensive line coach Phil Loadholt, who previously was an analyst at Oklahoma, has signed a one-year deal that pays him $325,000, the same as what his predecessor, Bill O’Boyle, would have earned this year before he left for San Diego State and then Northwestern.

∎ New wide receivers coach Jason Phillips recently joined Colorado from the Canadian Football League and will earn $315,000 this year and $340,000 next year. He effectively fills an opening that was created when former Colorado tight ends coach Tim Brewster took a job with Charlotte. Brewster was making $400,000 at Colorado before he left and owed the university $100,000 for breaking his contract early. Similarly, Kelly owed the university $212,500 for breaking his contract early, as confirmed by the university to USA TODAY Sports.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]