When you’re the head coach, tough calls come with the territory. Deion Sanders just proved it, stripping Pat Shurmur of play-calling duties to shake things up in Boulder. And guess who cashed in big? With Deion’s 3-year-old connection, Brett Bartolone, now dialing up plays, Omarion Miller carved his name into Colorado’s record book, fixing the Colorado problem.

On November 12, Colorado Buffaloes reporter Scott Procter tweeted, “Omarion Miller has noticed a difference in Colorado’s offense the last two weeks.” Thamel added, “He’s had his two best games of the season with Brett Bartolone calling plays.” Omarion Miller just locked himself into Buffs history. As noted by BuffZone’s Brian Howell, he became the 60th Colorado player ever to hit 55 career catches during Saturday’s West Virginia game. Even more impressive?

His 20.0 yards per grab ranks second all-time in CU history, trailing only Ron Brown’s 21.35-yard average from 1981-85. Deion’s WR went off. Despite the Buffs’ 29–22 loss to West Virginia, Miller lit up the stat sheet with six grabs, 131 yards, and a score, his best game of the season. The performance sent him rocketing up the On3 Impact Rankings from No. 85 to No. 55, the third-biggest leap in Week 11. And he already accepted how the coaching shake-up is paying off well.

“The pass game is starting to get stretched out more vertically now,” said Miller. He must be grateful to Deion. The offense has struggled all season, including a 53-7 loss to Utah. A few flashes weren’t enough. Colorado’s offense stalled under Ryan Staub in a 36–20 loss to Houston, as the junior went 19-of-35 for 204 yards with a touchdown and two picks. Coach Prime could no longer live in denial mode. 

Finally, on Tuesday, November 4th, Deion shook things up, pulling Shurmur off play-calling duties and moving him to oversee the quarterbacks. The tight ends coach, Brett Bartolone, took over the play sheet. His first test was against the Arizona Wildcats. 

The offense put up just 17 points, but things finally started clicking once five-star phenom Julian Lewis took over for Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub. Bartolone’s been riding with Coach Prime since the Jackson State days, first as OC and QB coach, now running things in Boulder. As Deion went back to his three-year-old connection, with this move, Deion’s officially on OC No. 3 in three years. But why Bartolone?

He is a rising offensive mind with roots in the Air Raid system, having played wide receiver for Mike Leach at Washington State and later learning the craft under the legendary coach in Pullman. Deion had to throw his hesitation out of the door and make the coaching swaps ASAP. After all, he has to whitewash his image at the earliest.

A Denver journalist throws shade on Deion Sanders’ hype train

Deion’s NFL leap buzz just got louder with Shedeur now playing for the pro league. His son’s team, the Cleveland Browns, is now standing on quicksand with a big quarterback looming. With Kevin Stefanski seated at the helm, the Browns’ offense reached historically low levels, scoring just 13.7 points per game. The squad also owns the lowest yards per completion in the NFL this year at just 7.8.

That’s when Nick Wright came up with a suggestion. “If Cleveland wants a winning culture, they need to hire Coach Prime,” he said. This was also doubled down by former Cleveland player Phil Taylor. But someone chose to throw cold water over the hype. “Please talk me off the ledge and tell me where I’m wrong. This love affair with Deion Sanders as some great head coach is a joke,” Denver journalist Eric Goodman dropped his blunt jab. “Because he’s done a lot of great things. But in-game, is he a great head coach? No.” Can Goodman be blamed for losing faith in Deion not being fit enough to bring a winning culture to the Browns’ squad?

Even Colorado’s committed recruits can sense the program starting to slip. For instance, impressed with Deion Sanders and his squad, 4-star Gavin Mueller committed to Deion Sanders’ program in May. But then the 2025 season unfolded, and the cracks in the Buffs’ program got exposed. Now that Colorado is going through a rough patch, Mario Cristobal is making the use of the golden opportunity. He now tries his luck to poach him away from Deion’s program. But with Omarion Miller entering the record, are the Buffs taking baby steps towards a rebound?