Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp has found a new lease on life as a graduate assistant and senior quality control analyst for the Colorado Buffaloes under coach Deion Sanders. On the back of his expertise and an improved defense, the Buffs fell just short of a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game and finished the regular season with a 9-3 record.
Warren Sapp Praised for His Coaching by Deion Sanders
During his news conference when he was first hired in January, Sapp revealed how coaching had rejuvenated him and how Coach Prime had gotten him addicted to coaching due to the enthusiasm of Buffaloes players when he first visited the Colorado campus last year.
“They were reaching and grabbing and asking questions,” Sapp said. “For someone that never wanted to do this, I am really addicted to it right now. The babies are really giving me a purpose in life, and I’m enjoying it.
“I’ve worked with pros that are getting my phone number and tell me they are coming to Miami, and my house is a mile-and-a-half from where they work out, and they’ll never call,” Sapp said. “These kids call me at 5:30 in the morning, ‘Coach, you wanna come watch tape with me?’ It’s crazy. I’m like, ‘Yeah, give me a purpose to get off the couch!’ So trust me, I was on my couch watching MSNBC, so I’m loving this. I am loving this.”
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During a Week 9 news conference before the Buffs played against the Arizona Wildcats, fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders praised Sapp’s impact on Colorado’s defensive line.
“Warren Sapp has done more than a phenomenal job,” Sanders said. “Just the connectivity and just understanding the different type players and the layers they have … You’ve got to know all those different types of personalities and he’s done a great job of understanding the different personalities.
“But this is the first time he’s seeing it from the other side. So, it’s a learning process not only for us as a staff but for him as a coach. But he’s doing a phenomenal job with that defensive line, I promise you.”
Sapp’s Colorado future could be tied to Sanders, who brought him to Boulder and has been linked to various NFL jobs in the past few weeks in the wake of his sons departing for the NFL via the draft.