Colorado, Deion Sanders expected to hire George Helow as defensive coach, sources say

Colorado is expected to hire George Helow as senior defensive coach, per source. He’ll work closely with Buffaloes defensive coordinator Robert Livingston. Helow worked under Jim Harbaugh as Michigan linebackers coach and most recently spent time last season as a special assistant to Nick Saban at Alabama. 

The 37-year-old has experience at multiple SEC & Big Ten schools, including Maryland, Georgia and Florida State. He was hired at Alabama ahead of their College Football Playoff Semifinal matchup against Michigan last year. Saban and the Tide appeared to be make every effort to gain an advantage on the top-ranked Wolverines. 

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Helow’s stop in Tuscaloosa was his second, as he previously served as an defensive intern for Alabama in 2012, first in the weight room in the spring, then under then-defensive coordinator Kirby Smart in the fall. He also had a brief stop at Colorado State for four seasons from 2016-19.
In 2022, Michigan’s defense ranked third nationally in total defense (277.1 yards per game) and fifth in scoring defense (13.4 points per game). The year prior, the unit ranked 12th in total defense (316.2 yards per game allowed) and fourth in scoring defense (16.1).

Helow played collegiately at Ole Miss with 38 games of experience from 2008-10, including back-to-back Cotton Bowl victories. He was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, an award given annually to the nation’s most outstanding college football player who began their career as a walk-on.