Colorado is taking a secondary coach from a Pac-12 South rival and a defensive line coach from its past.
According to Buffzone sources, CU and new head coach Karl Dorrell are expected to hire Demetrice Martin to coach defensive backs and Chris Wilson to coach the defensive line.
Martin, 47, has spent the past two seasons at Arizona, which has revamped its defensive staff. Martin, who has coached the Wildcats’ cornerbacks, was the only one of Arizona’s defensive assistants not fired during the 2019 season. He was expected to coach the Wildcats’ entire secondary this season.
Wilson, 51, has been a long-time defensive line coach, including from 2000-04 at CU, where he helped the Buffs win three Big 12 North titles during head coach Gary Barnettap tenure. Most recently, he coached with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016-18, helping them to a win in Super Bowl LII, and with the Arizona Cardinals last season.
Dorrell, announced as CU’s head coach on Feb. 24, has made seven hires to his staff so far, including four assistants being retained from former head coach Mel Tucker’s staff: Darrin Chiaverini, Darian Hagan, Brian Michalowski and Tyson Summers.
According to Buffzone sources, Dorrell will also hire Taylor Embree as tight ends coach. Embree, who has spent the past three years as a quality control coach with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, is the son of former CU player and head coach Jon Embree, who currently works as assistant head coach/tight ends coach for the 49ers.
Wilson’s career has included five seasons (2005-09) at Oklahoma, where he coached defensive ends and worked as special teams coordinator; three seasons (2010-12) as defensive coordinator at Mississippi State; and two seasons (2014-15) as the defensive line coach at USC. He also coached the defensive line at Georgia in 2013.
A two-time captain during his playing days at Oklahoma, Wilson recorded 303 tackles with the Sooners and was a 12th-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears in 1992. Wilson’s son, Caleb, played tight end at UCLA and is currently with the Washington Redskins.
Under Wilson’s direction in 2017, the Eagles had four defensive linemen with 5-plus sacks for the first time since 2002. That included Fletcher Cox, who made the Pro Bowl in all three seasons Wilson was with the Eagles. Wilson also coached Cox at Mississippi State, helping him become a first-team All-American and first-round draft pick of the Eagles.
At CU, Wilson’s group included Justin Bannan, Tyler Brayton, Brandon Dabdoub, Matt McChesney, Gabe Nyenhuis, Sam Wilder and Abraham Wright, who all played in the NFL.
“He’s like a father to me,” McChesney told Buffzone. “Best coach I’ve ever had. He’s going to get the most out of that group. That group consequently has some NFL players on it. I know one thing: those boys are gonna work like they never have in their life. Get ready to be great.”
Martin would be the first assistant hired by Dorrell from another college staff. He has spent his entire 19-year coaching career in the West, including the last 11 years in the Pac-12. Colorado will be his fifth stop in the Pac-12.
Prior to joining head coach Kevin Sumlin’s staff at Arizona in 2018, Martin coached six seasons (2012-17) at UCLA under Jim Mora. With the Bruins, he coached the secondary all six years, while adding the title of assistant head coach in his last four years.
From 2009-11, Martin coached defensive backs at Washington. He also spent the 2006-07 seasons as a defensive graduate assistant at Southern California.
Since 2009, defensive backs coached by Martin have collected 20 all-conference honors. Under his tutelage, UCLA led the Pac-12 in pass efficiency defense in 2015 and finished second (to CU) in 2016.
A California native, Martin starred at Muir High School in Pasadena — where he played with former Buffs linebacker Chad Brown — before playing receiver and cornerback at Michigan State from 1992-95. He led the Big Ten with seven interceptions in 1994, earning first-team all-conference honors.
Professionally, he played in NFL Europe, the Arena Football League and spent some time on the St. Louis Rams’ practice squad.
In addition to his Pac-12 coaching experience, he coached at Pasadena City College in 2001-02 and Mt. San Antonio (Calif.) College from 2003-05 and in 2008.
The Arizona media guide refers to Martin as “one of the top recruiters on the West Coast,” and lists his primary recruiting areas as California’s Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley, as well as the greater Dallas area.
Martin’s son, Cole, is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound freshman at Hamilton (Ariz.) High School and he already has two Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offers, from Florida Atlanta and Nevada.