BOULDER — Colorado is making a change.

Buffs head coach Karl Dorrell fired defensive coordinator Tyson Summers, Adam Rittenberg of ESPN reported Tuesday. Summers had finished his second season in the position, after joining Colorado from Georgia.

Sources: Tyson Summers is out as #Colorado's defensive coordinator. A surprise as Buffs defense excelled and improved in many areas, especially tackles for loss, red zone and third- and fourth-down D. Summers came to CU under Mel Tucker. Hearing Karl Dorrell wants his own guy.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) January 12, 2021

(UPDATE: Defensive line coach and former Mississippi State defensive coordinator Chris Wilson has emerged as a candidate to replace Summers.)

Hearing that Colorado defensive line coach Chris Wilson is viewed as a strong internal candidate to become the Buffs defensive coordinator. The 52-year-old Wilson has DC experience from his days at Miss. State.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 12, 2021

This year, Colorado allowed the fifth-fewest yards and points per game in the Pac-12. The Buffs’ pass defense was its calling card, leading the conference in opponent completion percentage and passer rating, while finishing third in sacks.

Several individually made names for themselves under Summers’ tutelage, including Carson Wells who led the nation in tackles for loss per game and Nate Landman who was one of the top linebackers in the country. Summers was also the Buffs’ inside linebackers coach before he was released.

The timing of the move comes as somewhat of a surprise. Colorado finished its season three weeks ago, and most staffing changes are made pretty quickly after the conclusion of the season. Strength coach Drew Wilson was let go last week, though, so maybe this is just how Dorrell does business.

The timeline does line up with a couple of outside events.

First, the college football national championship was Monday night, so any coaches on either the Alabama or Ohio State would likely now be available to look into other job openings.

Second, the wild card round of the NFL Playoffs just wrapped up and six teams’ seasons just ended in the last four days. Could Dorrell have an eye on an assistant in the NFL ranks, where he spent 11-of-12 years before leaving for Boulder?

Either way, if Colorado was planning to make a change it likely would have let go of Summers immediately, affording him a better opportunity to find his next home.

Maybe Dorrell wasn’t sure he could get his guy and had to wait until a deal was in place to be sure?

That’s just speculation, but speculation is all we have to right now.

Stay tuned to DNVR for updates as the Buffs track down their next defensive coordinator.