After an 0-5 start to the season, including two consecutive defeats in Pac-12 Conference play, Colorado fired head coach Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator Chris Wilson on Sunday.
The moves come one day after Colorado absorbed a 43-20 defeat at Arizona. The Buffaloes allowed at least 38 points in each game this season, with opponents averaging 43.2 points per game.
Dorrell, 59, was in his third season at Colorado, with his teams going 8-15.
“I want to thank Karl for his hard work in leading our program since 2020,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said in a statement. “Ultimately, however, the results on the field did not measure up to our expectations and standards, which made it necessary for us to make this change at this time.”
Dorrell spent most of his career as an NFL assistant following a run as head coach at his alma mater UCLA from 2003-07. He was on the staffs of the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and New York Jets since 2008.
Wilson, 53, has an extensive resume as a college coach, but came to Colorado along with Dorrell in 2020 after four seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals.
In eight total seasons as a head coach with UCLA and Colorado, Dorrell was 43-42. Colorado lost to UCLA 45-17 in Dorrell’s final home game with the Buffaloes on Sept. 24.
Dorrell was halfway through a five-year contract and will receive an $8.7 million buyout from the university, paid in installments.
–Field Level Media
