For the past several years, Michael Pollock has been a trusted assistant coach for Deion Sanders, the head coach for Colorado.

In the offseason, Pollock was rewarded with a promotion, as he is now the Buffaloes’ special teams coordinator.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” said Pollock, who was a quality control analyst at CU the past two years.

“Coach Prime, to be able to trust me with that position and put me in that role, which is a critical role for our football program, it lets me know my hard work is paying off. It lets me know that I’m developing that kind of trust from him to get the job done.”

Pollock has worked with Sanders for the past four years, including the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Jackson State. Now, the former Georgia long snapper is aiming to help the Buffs improve their special teams.

“I’ve embraced the role,” he said.

“I’m excited to work with the guys I’m working with, the kickers and punters and snappers. We’ve got some talent coming back. Just excited to be able to be a part of that.”

CU returns placekicker Alejandro Mata and long snapper Kameron Hawkins. The Buffs have also added kicker Buck Buchanan (a transfer from Louisiana Tech) and punter Damon Greaves (Kansas).

The addition of Buchanan is significant on two fronts.

The Buffs allowed 53 kickoff returns in 2024, the most in the nation and 15 more than any other team in the Big 12. Buchanan, meanwhile, produced touchbacks on 51 of 56 kickoffs (91.1%).

“We had him kicking in the indoor and he was kicking off from the 35 and putting it through the upright,” Pollock said.

Buchanan could also give the Buffs an option to kick long field goals. Mata has made 34 of 40 career field goals (85%), but his long is 47 yards. Buchanan is 20-of-31 (64.5%), with four career field goals of at least 50 yards, including a 57-yarder.

“(Buchanan) has definitely got the leg,” Pollock said. “We’re just working on him, just keeping with his technique on longer field goals and not trying to over-kick it, but getting him comfortable with the holders and things like that. I think we definitely have a weapon there.

“Right now my vision is Mata is going to be a short- to mid-range guy, and then Buck’s going to be the long-range guy.”

Prime extension

CU senior safety Ben Finneseth said he was excited to hear about Sanders signing a new five-year, $54 million contract extension last Friday with the Buffs that goes through the 2029 season.

“It’s gonna help us in every aspect, especially recruiting,” Finneseth said. “I had to joke with him a little bit yesterday about buying me a yacht or something with the new money. He’s got a little bit to spend, but I’m super excited. It’s gonna be great for the program, great for the city of Boulder, and I’m super excited for where this place is going to go now.”

Linebackers coach Andre Hart, who has coached with Sanders for several years, said, “Honestly, it was expected. I think you should get paid … for doing an excellent job. And of course, we want to do better. But yeah, I was very excited about that.”

Back home

Assistant offensive line coach Andre Gurode was thrilled to get hired by Sanders in February, giving him a chance to return to Boulder. A four-year starter at CU from 1998-2001, Gurode was a consensus All-American in 2001 and was inducted into the CU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.

“I did not think that it was going to happen the way that it happened, but God always has a plan of how he wants to work things out,” Gurode said. “It’s always been a special place for me. It was a school that I chose because it was the right school for me, and it’s continued to be the right place for me, even coming back to visit old teammates and things of that nature.

“It’s always been a special place for me, and that was because of what they did for me as a young graduate, and making sure that I went through the program and I became the man that I needed to be.”

After CU, Gurode was selected in the second round (37th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. A five-time Pro Bowler during his nine seasons in Dallas, Gurode also played with the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders.