BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes will be minus one key part of their team as they face the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Alamo Bowl, their defensive coordinator. Jim Leavitt’s departure for Oregon after his second season as the defensive coordinator at CU will have a negative impact on the team. His coaching was a key reason why the Buffs were able to turn the program around as quickly as they did. But in the immediate, his loss has had minor impacts on the team.
In terms of his replacement, there is none, yet. Safeties coach Joe Tumpkin has slid over to linebackers and will call plays while Charles Clark now is in control of the secondary and Jim Jeffcoat sticks on the defensive line.
According to BSN Denver sources that have witnessed practices and meetings, there have been little changes to the way the defense is operating. One of the only noticeable differences has been the step up in leadership by the outgoing trio of Tedric Thompson, Chidobe Awuzie and Ahkello Witherspoon as well as a bigger role in leadership taken on by Isaiah Oliver.
“Not for me (nothing has changed) because Tumpkin was our safeties coach so everything he says we’re used to it,” Thompson described. “I’ve been working with him for two years, so there isn’t much of a difference for us DBs.”
“It’s still Leavitt’s defense, we’ve been in it for two years now,” Thompson went on. “Nothing has really changed, to be honest, the only thing that has is the fact that we don’t have Leavitt’s energy towards practice.”
That energy is one thing that has been missed. Once again according to sources in the locker room two of the team’s worst practices this season both came over this past week, one on Wednesday and the other on Thursday. Now is this because of Leavitt’s departure? That is impossible to say and could be more of an indictment of the players’, who have lacked an edge since their Pac-12 South-clinching victory over Utah. But in terms of scheme, leadership, and meetings, not much has changed on the defensive side of the ball as the Buffaloes play without their defensive coordinator.
“It’s up to us, we’re the ones on the field, even Leavitt would tell us that he couldn’t do anything besides call the plays… it’s up to us,” Thompson touted.
The veteran nature of the Buffaloes has given them the ability to make it through bowl season without one of their key assistant coaches.
