Charles Kelly leaving Deion Sanders' staff at Colorado for Auburn, per reports

Buffaloes defensive coordinator become the latest to leave Boulder

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Deion Sanders is losing his defensive coordinator at Colorado. Charles Kelly is reportedly moving on to Auburn, according to 247Sports reporter Matt Zenith. He spent a year at CU after coming over from Nick Saban's staff at Alabama.   

Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly is expected to leave the Buffs for a job on the defensive staff at Auburn, sources tell @247Sports.

Before Colorado, Kelly worked at Alabama and Tennessee and as a defensive coordinator at Florida State.https://t.co/dJORJ80Uo5 pic.twitter.com/TV7LkYErXx

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 30, 2023

Sanders will be tasked with replacing Kelly, who was a primary recruiter for a majority of the past two classes. Colorado's defense was ranked as one of the worst in FBS last year, giving up 34.8 points per contest. Prior to his previous two stops, Kelly spent a season at Tennessee as an assistant in 2018, and at Florida State as defensive coordinator starting in 2013. The Seminoles won a national championship during his first year under Jimbo Fisher. 

Colorado suffered from a multitude of issues on defense, but Kelly was willing to help fix a lot of things going into 2024. He leaves the Buffs after pulling in a top 25 class overall with a mixture of recruits and transfers. 

Auburn adds Kelly as a defensive assistant on Hugh Freeze's staff, according to sources. The 56-year-old heads back to his home state and his career comes full circle. He played for the Tigers in the late 80s and spent time at his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 1993. The move came the same day as the Auburn's appearance in the Music City Bowl against Maryland.

Sanders might have a short list of replacements that includes former NFL coach Mike Zimmer and former assistant Nick Williams, who recently took an assistant job with Syracuse.