From High School Sidelines to Boulder's War Room
From High School Sidelines to Boulder's War Room originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
June 20, 2012. For most, just another date. For Corey Phillips, it marked a moment of surrender, and divine direction.
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'I was a high school football coach and residential school teacher,' Phillips posted recently on X. 'My prayer was to get to the collegiate level as a coach. God saw it to be another route.'
It wasn't coaching. But it was the start of something bigger.
Today, Phillips sits in the middle of Colorado football's transformation, serving as the Director of Player Personnel under Deion Sanders. But his journey, rooted in faith, grind, and a tweet of gratitude, started far from the lights of Folsom Field.
From Nashville Classrooms to Commodore Credentials
Before he was scouting four-star recruits and managing elite-level rosters, Phillips spent nearly a decade molding young men at the high school level in Tennessee. As defensive coordinator at Brentwood High and previously at Father Ryan High School, he developed 14 All-Region selections and helped shape future stars.
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But the collegiate door wouldn't open, until 2016.
That's when Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason offered Phillips his shot.
'@CoachDerekMason thank you for my opportunity in 2016,' Phillips wrote, almost nine years to the day after it happened. 'Believe in His promise, and stay the course.'
At Vanderbilt, he started humbly as an assistant recruiting coordinator, but it was enough. He was in the door. The journey had begun.
SEC Pedigree and Next-Level Vision
From Vanderbilt, Phillips continued climbing. His eye for talent and authenticity earned him the Director of Scouting role at NC State. There, he helped build competitive rosters in a brutally tough ACC landscape.
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In 2022, LSU came calling. As Associate Director of Player Personnel, Phillips was instrumental in assembling a top-10 national recruiting class, ranked No. 6 by On3 Consensus.
For a guy once diagramming coverages on a high school whiteboard, the ascension was surreal. But earned.
Now in Boulder: Rebuilding the Buffaloes
In December of 2022, Coach Prime tapped Phillips to help reshape Colorado's recruiting blueprint. His job? Simple, but seismic: find players who can run, hit, and believe.
At Colorado, Phillips doesn't just watch film. He listens to stories. He knows what overlooked kids can become. After all, he was one of them.
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His path is not traditional. It's transformational.
Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Omarion MillerChet Strange-USA TODAY Sports
Building for More.
Corey Phillips isn't the loudest voice in the room. But he might be the most important one. As Colorado pushes into a new era under Deion Sanders, Phillips' blend of football knowledge, recruiting skill, and spiritual resilience could be the X-factor.
From praying for a chance in 2012, to changing the game in 2025, his journey is proof: believe in the process, and the promise will follow.
Related: Colorado's Jordan Seaton Turning Heads with Stunning Transformation
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
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