When Colorado brought Chris Marve to Boulder as the linebackers coach this offseason, it was a solid hire on its own. When the Buffs then elevated him to defensive coordinator after losing defensive play caller Rob Livingston to Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos, the expectation was that the linebacker room wouldn't get left behind in the transition.
Now it looks like that's exactly the case.
Per CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, Deion Sanders and Marve have added former NFL linebacker Xavier Adibi to the Colorado defensive staff.
His official title hasn't been announced yet, but given his background, and the simple fact that he and Marve have worked together previously, expect him to have his fingerprints on the linebacker room.
This is a staff that already has Andre' Hart on board as assistant linebackers coach and Clancy Pendergast as a senior defensive analyst with linebacker responsibilities. So this isn't a room being neglected. Sanders and Marve are clearly being intentional about stacking experience at a position group that will be central to the new defensive identity they're trying to build.
Adibi's path to Boulder is a good one. He cut his coaching teeth as a linebackers coach at Garden City (JC - KS), then moved on to Arkansas as a defensive analyst. From there he ran the defense at Texas A&M-Commerce for three seasons before reuniting with Marve at Virginia Tech, where the Hokies ranked 20th nationally in total defense in 2023. He was promoted to associate linebackers coach for the Hokies before following Marve west to Boulder. Coaches like Adibi who've done it at multiple levels and in multiple roles tend to bring real versatility to a staff, and he also brings an NFL pedigree as well..
As a player, Adibi was a Hokie before Houston drafted him in the fourth round in 2008. He played five years in the league with the Texans, Vikings, and Titans. That playing experience is important, especially recruiting linebackers and trying to develop them at the Power Four level.
The bigger picture here is that Colorado's defense has nowhere to go but up. The Buffs ranked 116th in scoring defense and 123rd in total defense in 2025 out of 136 teams. Those are clear markings of a significant rebuild.
This off season the Buffs lost NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp (who had assisted with the defensive line), Livingston (as referenced earlier) and defensive line coach Domata Peko (who left for the same post with the Pittsburgh Steelers under Mike McCarthy).
Marve and the new-look defensive staff have brought in 12 defensive line transfers, added blue-chip linebacker talent through the portal, and are now stacking the staff with coaches who've been in the lab with him before.
The pieces are there. Now it's about getting them to play together as Prime looks to rebound off a 3-9 campaign last fall, his second losing season in three tries with the Buffs with the one outlier being the 2024 season that saw Travis Hunter win the Heisman Trophy and a pair of jerseys controversially retired during that off season.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest out of Boulder, and around the country.