In a move that caught many off guard, Tyson Summers was let go from his position as defensive coordinator yesterday January 12th. The change came as a surprise as the Colorado defense had improved under Summers' watch, with the red zone defense jumping from 125th in 2019 to 13th this past year while their tackle for loss ranking went from 123rd in the nation all the way up to 7th. The pass defense also improved jumping into the top 35 nationally in opponent quarterback rating and completion percentage after being ranked 121st in 2019. Their effectiveness against the run dropped to 84th in 2020 at 181 yards per game, although most of that damage came after the Nate Landman injury. Prior to the star linebacker's injury, the CU defense improved to 148 rushing yards given up per game, slightly less than the 153 yards per game given up in 2019. However, the defense was prone to giving up points averaging 27 points against per game prior to the bowl loss to Texas.
With only one year left on his contract Summers will be owed $500,000 in his buyout, which can be lowered if he were to find another job. Also worth noting is that Summers was a Mel Tucker holdover, and the rumor is that Dorrell wanted his own guy at the defensive coordinator spot. As of now the current defensive line coach Chris Wilson is the front runner for the open spot. In addition to being the defensive line coach at Colorado in 2020, Wilson was the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State from 2010-2012 where the Bulldogs ranked at least 35th in scoring defense each year, up from 71st from 2009 prior to when Wilson took over. Regardless of who takes over, they will inherit plenty of talent on defense with Nate Landman, Mustafa Johnson, Terrance Lang, and Carson Wells have all committed to returning for 2021
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