Former Colorado Buffaloes Gary "Flea" Harrell, the running backs coach, has secured yet another college football position, this time just a couple of hours north of Boulder.
On Tuesday, the Wyoming Cowboys introduced Harrell as their newest addition to the team, appointing him as the running backs coach. He will be replacing Donnell Kirkwood Jr., who is heading to Washington State. Prior to this role with Wyoming, Harrell was associated with the coaching staff at Colorado. Deion Sanders For the last five years, which includes his time over three seasons at Jackson State, he parted ways during the recent off-season. Known as "Coach Prime," the individual announced that Pro Football Hall of Famer will now be joining him. Marshall Faulk As the Buffs' newly appointed running backs coach in February.
Harrell will now serve under Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel, who had a record of 3-9 during his inaugural season with the Cowboys last year.
During the interview process, Coach Harrell was notably distinguished by his extensive experience in coaching this specific role and his comprehensive background as a mentor, including his tenure as the head coach at his alma mater," stated Sawvel in a press statement. "His reputation is impeccable, particularly regarding his strategic acumen on offense, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the University of Wyoming. We look forward to integrating him into our team both within the classroom and alongside players on the practice fields.
As Sawvel mentioned, Harrell was the head coach at Howard, which competes at the Football Championship Subdivision level, from 2011-16. The Bison went 20-36 in Harrell's five seasons at the helm.
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In 2017-18, Harrell served as the wide receivers coach at Florida Atlantic University. He subsequently took up the role of running backs coach at Alabama State in 2019 prior to his move to join "Coach Prime" at Jackson State in 2020.
“I’m really enthusiastic about this upcoming phase and thrilled to join this team,” Harrell stated. “The positive vibes at the University of Wyoming have been widely praised, and I am eager to seize this chance to infuse my enthusiasm and collaborate with this impressive bunch of young gentlemen.”
Harrell is set to come back to Boulder when Wyoming is slated to face off with the Buffs at Folsom Field on September 20th. The last time Colorado went up against Wyoming was in 2009, and historically, they have maintained an impressive record of 24 wins, two draws, and one loss against the Cowboys.
As part of the Mountain West Conference, Wyoming now finds itself confronting several uncertainties ahead. In the previous autumn, the Pac-12 Conference lured away Utah State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Boise State from the Mountain West, putting Wyoming at a disadvantage. Since then, the Mountain West has added some smaller institutions, yet Wyoming did not gain anything positive from this recent reshuffle in conference affiliations.
While Colorado predominantly depended on the strong arm of their quarterback Shedeur Sanders During Harrell's two-year term, the Buffs' running game faced challenges. In each of the last two seasons, Colorado managed an average of less than 70 rushing yards per game.
Faulk assumes leadership of a running back unit that comprises Micah Welch, Dallan Hayden, Brandon Hood, and veteran Buff Charlie Offerdahl. As noted by Scott Proctor from DNVR on Wednesday, Isaiah Augustave is no longer part of the Colorado football squad.
The article was initially posted on www.si.com/college/colorado as Ex-Aide of Deion Sanders Accepts Position with Rival Team of Colorado Buffaloes .
