Colorado Buffaloes Coach Warren Sapp 'Addicted' To Job With Deion Sanders

Then, coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes came calling.

"I never thought I'd want this job ever in my life. Now, I'm addicted," Sapp, entering his second year at Colorado, told reporters Tuesday. "I can't wait to ride off of Table Mesa, see that panoramic view with the school at the bottom. I'm rolling. I'm rolling to this place."

As a senior quality control analyst last year, Sapp overlooked a Buffs defensive line that led the Big 12 with 39 sacks, its most as a program since 1995. 2024 was a resounding success, leading to a freshly minted title as defensive pass rush coordinator.

Just like his time as a player, Sapp has been passionate, brutally honest and hell-bent on his pupils' success. This year, he'll yin the yang of another "Coach Prime" NFL hire at defensive line, Domata Peko.

"Good cop, bad cop," said Sapp, referencing himself as the latter. "I poke him all the time, I'm like 'Come on, man.' He's like, 'I know, I know Uce.'. . . He's just a big, lovable guy, but we go at it.

"We make sure we are detailed in what we're doing, because it's the little things. It's not the mountain in front of you; you're going to find a way around it. It's the rock in your shoe that'll drive you crazy, because every other step, that rock is affecting you. That's what we're trying to teach them."

Sapp's pursuit of perfection was something he learned from Sanders. With several key newcomers in Colorado's trenches lacing up their boots this fall camp, every rep matters.

Even with fresh faces, the Buffaloes return several key contributors and have a bounty of experience. Arden Walker, Amari McNeill, Samuel Okunlola, Keaten Wade, Anquin Barnes and other upperclassmen will captain a unit that brought in Jehiem Oatis, Gavriel Lightfoot, Tavian Coleman and other interior veterans.

"Prime said, 'Who's a senior?' and they all raised their hands. I said, 'My god, I got to start recruiting,'" Sapp jested. "When it's a senior-led group, I'm gonna put it on y'all ... When you're a pack of wild dogs, the pack takes care of itself. The lone wolf dies. And that's what I try to teach them every day.

"We are a pack. We are together, we live together, we drink together, we sleep together, we eat together, we win and lose together."

Sapp isn't just getting comfortable in Boulder. He's establishing a mindset that can help Colorado reach the upper echelon of defensive lines in the nation.

He's home.

"Ain't no better time for me right now," Sapp said. "I got my babies all around me, they're ready to work. We're ready to get to a season that I know the whole [of] Colorado is ready for. We're gonna get right."