Report: Colorado promotes William Vlachos to OL coach

BOULDER — Colorado’s offensive line coach position wasn’t open for long.

CU will promote quality control coach William Vlachos to fill the position, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. Vlachos, 33, joined Colorado’s staff in March of 2020 as a quality control coach on the defensive side of the ball. The CU website defines his role as an “defensive blitz and offensive front specialist.”

The offensive line coach position became open when Colorado opted to fire offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue on Sunday. Like Vlachos, Rodrigue joined head coach Karl Dorrell’s inaugural staff at CU in early 2020.

Through seven games this season, Colorado’s offense ranks near the bottom of the pack nationally in most statistics this season, and the offensive line has contributed significantly to those struggles. Vlachos will be tasked with turning the group around to the extent that is possible in the final five weeks of the season.

Vlachos played collegiately at Alabama from 2007-11, where he was a first-team All-American center in his senior season. After a brief stint in the NFL, Vlachos returned to Alabama as a graduate assistant for the 2013 season and he served as an analyst for the ensuing four seasons. In 2018, Vlachos joined the Buffalo Bills as an offensive assistant, his last coaching stop before joining Dorrell’s staff in Boulder.

Dorrell will expand on the coaching change during his weekly press conference Monday afternoon.