The Colorado Buffaloes have been going through a coaching search since Mel Tucker left for Michigan State, and they appear to have a new head coach.
Yahoo’s Pete Thamel reported on Saturday that Karl Dorrell is the favorite to be the next Colorado head coach.
Sources: Karl Dorrell has emerged as the favorite in the Colorado search. Numerous coaches involved in the job have been told they aren’t getting it. No deal done yet. But the Dolphins assistant and former UCLA head coach is trending as the top name.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 22, 2020
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport later said that Dorrell is definitively getting the job.
Dorrell, 56, was a former UCLA wide receiver from 1983-1986 and became the Bruins’ head coach from 2003-2007. He went 35-27 over five seasons, which was highlighted by a 10-2 season propelled by future pros Maurice Jones-Drew and Marcedes Lewis. Beyond that, he was exactly .500, going 6-6 twice, 7-6 once and 6-7 another time.
Since being fired by UCLA, Dorrell has mostly coached in the NFL, typically as a wide receivers or quarterbacks coach. He has worked with the Dolphins, Jets and Texans, and is entering his second season (second stint with them) with Miami.
Darrin Chiaverini is currently the program’s interim head coach. Other people like Eric Bieniemy, Bret Bielema and Steve Sarkisian have been mentioned in connection with the job, but nothing on that front materialized.
As someone who was a student during Dorrell’s time as head coach at UCLA, I can tell you this hire does not impress me. Dorrell was mostly an average coach who did not do much despite having some very good talent. The Buffs have only had one winning season since 2006, and I wouldn’t expect their fortunes to change much by hiring Dorrell.
