Early Saturday, the Colorado Buffaloes officially announced former Ohio State football safety Vonn Bell as its new safeties coach.
Bell played at Ohio State from 2013 to 2015 and notably went from a rotational role as a freshman to a full-time starter as a sophomore. In his first-ever start, Vonn recorded an interception in the 2014 Orange Bowl. He was the full-time safety, starting all 15 games in the 2014 season and rewarded the staff with 91 tackles and a Big Ten-leading six interceptions. In his next season, Vonn became a first-team All-American and then chose to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft. His final totals as a Buckeye were 176 tackles and a reputation as one of the program’s best playmakers.
Bell was drafted in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and established himself quickly as a reliable piece in the Saints’ secondary. After four years in New Orleans, Bell signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played a pivotal role on the team that went to back-to-back AFC championship games and appeared in Super Bowl LVI. Vonn played more than 130 games in the NFL and had over 500 career tackles, with a career highlight being an interception of Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the 2021 AFC Championship game.
Vonn joined the Colorado staff as a defensive analyst after his pro career was over, but he was never officially announced until Saturday, when he was elevated to Safeties coach to replace the departing Robert Livingston, who left to take a role with the NFL’s Denver Broncos.
This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Former Ohio State great hired as Colorado’s safeties coach
