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Pete ThamelESPN
Colorado fired football coach Karl Dorrell on Sunday in the wake of the Buffaloes’ 0-5 start to the 2022 season, the university announced Sunday.
The school also dismissed defensive coordinator Chris Wilson.
Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford will serve as interim coach, the school announced. Sanford is the former head coach at Western Kentucky, where he went 9-16 in two seasons (2017-18).
Defensive line coach Gerald Chatman was named the 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 in leading our program since 2020,” athletic director Rick George said in a statement. “Ultimately, however, the results on the field just did not measure up to our expectations and standards, which made it necessary for us to make this change at this time. It was an extremely difficult decision and I wish Karl all of the best in his future endeavors.”
Colorado’s latest loss was a 43-20 defeat to Arizona on Saturday. The 23-point loss was the closest game Colorado has played this season. TCU trounced Colorado 38-13 in the opener, and the Buffaloes haven’t really been competitive in any games.
Dorrell was in his third season at Colorado. He went 4-8 last year after a solid debut (3-1) during the COVID-19 season of 2020. Colorado suffered significant losses before this season to the transfer portal.
Dorrell finished his time in Boulder with an 8-15 record in 23 games.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.