College Football

Colorado OC Sean Lewis looking to take Buffs' offense to new heights

Published Jun. 2, 2023 4:23 p.m. ET

When it comes to viral sound bites, Colorado football coach Deion Sanders is the gift that keeps on giving.

But a member of Sanders’ newly formed coaching staff might take the cake when it comes to delivering the best quote of spring football.

Colorado offensive coordinator Sean Lewis was recently asked to describe the style of offense he plans to bring to the Buffaloes this season, and his answer did not disappoint.

"It’s like riding a bike down a volcano that’s erupting," Lewis said. "I like going fast. Me and Ricky Bobby have that in common."

FOX Sports college football analyst RJ Young broke down Colorado’s hire of Lewis and what he expects to see from the Buffs’ new OC in a recent episode of his podcast, "The Number One College Football Show with RJ Young."

Colorado's Offensive Coordinator Sean Lewis: A Diamond in the Rough

RJ Young reveals his Diamond in the Rough for this week: Colorado Buffaloes offensive coordinator Sean Lewis.

"There’s a reason why Prime went to get Sean Lewis from Kent State," Young said. "The offense is going at warp speed and that means a lot of points and a lot of yards."

Sanders hired Lewis away from Kent State, where he served as the head coach of the Golden Flashes from 2018-22. Lewis was 31 years old when he was hired at Kent State, making him the youngest head coach in the FBS at the time.

Despite having a losing record (24-31) during his time as head coach, Lewis consistently had offenses that ranked among the best in the Metro Athletic Conference. The Golden Flashes put up more than 400 yards of offense per game in four of Lewis’ five seasons at Kent State, including averaging 606.5 yards and 49.8 points per contest during the 2020 season, both of which ranked first among all FBS teams.

Young has studied Lewis’ offenses at Kent State and says it reminds him a lot of another fast-paced, high-scoring unit he’s seen.

"It looks a lot like what Mark Whipple was doing at Pittsburgh in 2021 with Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison," Young said. "Pickett was a first-round draft pick and a Heisman contender. Jordan Addison won the Biletnikoff Award before transferring away from Pat Narduzzi and Pittsburgh to go play at USC, and then he got drafted in the first round."

Lewis will have a quarterback with multiple years of starting experience at his disposal this upcoming season as Shedeur Sanders is expected to be under center for the Buffs this fall. Sanders is known for his exceptional accuracy, completing 68% of his passes for 6,963 yards and 70 touchdowns during his two seasons as the starting signal-caller at Jackson State. He was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2021, and followed that up by taking home SWAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2022.

Sanders should have plenty of talented targets to throw the ball to next season, including two-way standout Travis Hunter, who starred at Jackson State with Sanders and was the top-ranked high school recruit in the nation in 2022. Joining Sanders will be several talented pass catchers who have transferred in, including former South Florida star Jimmy Horn, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound wideout with elite-level speed.

"The offense is going to work … it’s going to go," Young said. "Sean Lewis is going to get real looks to be a Power 5 head coach in a very short amount of time if this thing gets going at Colorado, and it should."

Lewis and the Buffaloes will open the 2023 season against defending national champion runner-up TCU on Sept. 2 on FOX.