3:26 p.m. ET
Pete Thamel ESPN
Colorado fired football coach Karl Dorrell Sunday after the Buffaloes started the 2022 season 5-0, the university said Sunday.
The school also fired defense coordinator Chris Wilson.
Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford will serve as interim coach, the school announced. Sanford is the former head coach of Western Kentucky, where he won 9-16 in two seasons (2017-18).
Defensive coach Gerald Chatman has been named interim defensive coordinator.
Dorrell will receive approximately $8.7 million in a buyout, the school said.
“I want to thank Karl for his hard work leading our program since 2020,” athletic director Rick George said in a statement. “Ultimately, the results on the pitch just didn’t live up to our expectations and standards, which necessitated this change at that point. It was an extremely difficult decision and I wish Karl all the best in his future endeavours.”
Colorado’s most recent loss was a 43-20 loss to Arizona on Saturday. The 23-point loss was the closest game Colorado has played this season. TCU defeated Colorado 38-13 in the opener, and the Buffaloes weren’t really competitive in any game.
Dorrell was in his third season in Colorado. He went 4-8 last year after a solid debut (3-1) in the 2020 COVID-19 season. Colorado suffered significant losses to the transfer portal ahead of this season.
Dorrell finished his time at Boulder with an 8-15 record in 23 games.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.