Mike Zimmer could be a defensive coordinator again soon

Dec 6, 2022 - 4:10 PM

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Over this past weekend, a hire was made that sent shockwaves through the college football world, and it could mean good things for a former Minnesota Vikings head coach.

As you’ve likely heard by now, the Colorado Buffaloes have hired NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders to be their head coach. Sanders was the head coach at Jackson State University for the past three seasons, compiling a 26-5 record during that stretch. One of the members of his current staff is former Vikings’ head coach Mike Zimmer, who Sanders brought on as an analyst after the Vikings fired him at the end of the 2021 season.

The rumor that’s circulating is that, with Sanders taking his talents to Boulder, Zimmer could be tabbed to be his defensive coordinator.

The relationship between Zimmer and Sanders goes back quite a ways, as Zimmer was the defensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys when Sanders was still putting together his Hall of Fame playing resume. The two have remained friends throughout the years, with Sanders famously calling Zimmer during one of his press conferences.

Having Zimmer to lean on would be a huge benefit to Sanders as he gets himself established at Colorado. The Buffaloes have had a rough go of things in recent years. . .they’ve had just one winning season since joining the Pac-12 back in 2011. . .but Sanders thinks that he can turn it around. Frankly, I’m not willing to bet against him.

I think it would be kind of cool for Coach Zimmer to get back into the coaching ranks, whether it’s at the college level or at the NFL level. He’s going to have an opportunity at some point, and it absolutely wouldn’t be surprising for him to try to help his friend Deion to rebuild what was, in the not-so-distant past, a pretty good college football program.