On Monday, Coach Prime introduced his whole coaching staff during the team’s first fall camp meeting. Interestingly, there was no sign of wide receivers coach Jason Phillips. Many wondered if the 59-year-old had parted ways with Colorado. Some even went to great lengths to speculate on a potential rift between Coach Prime and him. In response to those rumors, Phillips first clarified why he left, and then Coach Prime addressed the issue on social media.

“We brothers, man, I’ve been knowing Coach Prime since 1988,” Jason Phillips said on the Pregame Network podcast on August 5. “We’ve always had candid conversations, and we are direct with each other, and most importantly, we are honest about how we care about each other. So I want to dispel that rumor as well. As far as you know, there may be some rift there because there isn’t any rift.”

Coach Prime shared the clip of the podcast on his X account and wrote, “I’m gonna miss my Dawg!” So, despite the rumors circulating online, Phillips’ decision is based solely on his personal choice to retire. Of course, many still question the timing of the move since Colorado has just started its fall camp and is just one month away from the 2026 season. Phillips, though, had clear reasoning for his exit.

Deion Sanders has fully revamped his staff this year, making new hires. On the offensive side of the ball, he has hired Brennan Marion as OC. Moreover, he hired Chris Marve as DC to replace Robert Livingston after he went to the NFL. But that’s not all. Coach Prime also replaced various position coaches and promoted names like Da’nte Carter and Johnnie Mack. With the new staff and much of the offseason already over, Phillips now feels confident about Colorado.

“I said to him that I would never put him in a situation where I would leave and didn’t feel like the program was in a better state,” Phillips said. “He and I both agree it’s in a better state, with the staff hirings that he’s made. Man, that program is in great shape right now. And it has nothing to do with any of the changes from that regard. It has everything to do with: I know they’re on the uprise.”

Jason Phillips and Deion Sanders go way back to their time together with the Atlanta Falcons. While Coach Prime was a star cornerback, Jason was the standout wide receiver. They played together until 1993, and when Coach Prime became Jackson State’s head coach, he added Phillips to his staff as the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. In 2024, he returned to Sanders’ staff as WRs coach. But now he has retired from coaching, as Coach Prime himself relayed.

“JPhil retired my brother!” Deion Sanders wrote on his X account. “I’m proud of him, and he blessed us, and they’re 5 recs that played for CU in NFL camps right now.”

Sanders has now replaced Phillips with Rashad Davis as the WRs coach. However, according to Phillips, he has already done everything to prepare the team. And he remains confident that his unit will do exceptionally well this year, even in his absence.