Byron Leftwich, former offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during Tom Brady’s tenure with the team from 2020 to 2022, has officially joined the coaching staff at the University of Colorado. Reports confirm Leftwich’s addition to the team after he was spotted at Colorado practices sporting team gear. This news comes following the hiring of Marshall Faulk as the running backs coach earlier in the offseason.
Colorado’s coaching staff also includes Warren Sapp as a defensive quality control analyst, Phil Loadholt, a former NFL offensive lineman, coaching the offensive line, and Damione Lewis, an ex-NFL defensive lineman, as the team’s defensive line coach. Leftwich is set to work specifically with the quarterbacks.
Leftwich, aged 45, served as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2019 to 2022, culminating in a Super Bowl victory in 2020 with Tom Brady as quarterback. Despite interviewing for head coaching positions across the league, Leftwich never landed a head coaching job and was let go by the Bucs after a disappointing 2022 season.
A former standout at Marshall University, Leftwich was the seventh overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft and enjoyed a career that spanned with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Buccaneers. He totaled 10,532 passing yards, 58 touchdowns, and 42 interceptions over his NFL career.
As Colorado aims to build on its successful 2024 season in 2025, the team faces the task of replacing its star players. Heisman-winning DB/WR Travis Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders are both projected as first-round picks in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. The team has bolstered its quarterback options by signing five-star QB JuJu Lewis and adding former Liberty QB Kaidon Salter via the transfer portal.
