Deion Sanders highlighted repeatedly that he wanted to bring an NFL voice in as Colorado’s new defensive coordinator after Charles Kelly left for Auburn, and he did just that. While Robert Livingston may not have been the splashy name that many fans were expecting, he has a wealth of experience at the professional level.
For the second straight year, there will be plenty of turnover on the Buffs’ defense, but Livingston brings an NFL mind and likely a modernized scheme that helped the Bengals find success over the past few seasons.
So, who is Robert Livingston and what should Buffs fans expect out of his defense?
Experience
The first thing that sticks out on Livingston’s resume is his experience as a scout. Livingston started his time in the NFL as a talent evaluator for the Bengals, doing a lot of defensive back scouting. From 2012-14, the three years that Livingston spent evaluating DBs, the Bengals drafted multiple productive pieces in the secondary.
In 2012, Cincinnati selected cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick in the first round and safety George Iloka in the fifth round, both of whom would become big contributors for the Bengals. Kirkpatrick made 79 starts in his career, 67 of them coming in Cincinnati, and made 365 tackles with 13 interceptions during his career. Iloka was a steal on Day 3 of the draft, starting 76 games in six seasons with the Bengals and picking off nine passes.
In 2013, the Bengals picked up safety Shawn Williams in the third round, who would go on to make 61 starts, 424 tackles and snag 12 picks in eight seasons in Cincinnati. The next year, it was Darqueze Dennard who the Bengals chose in the first round, and he would go on to make 24 starts and 274 tackles in six seasons.