Coach Prime/CU Buffaloes Football Reporter

The Fort Collins Coloradoan/Coloradoan.com, a member of the USA TODAY Network, is looking for an experienced reporter to cover the cultural phenomenon that University of Colorado football has become under the leadership of head coach Deion Sanders.

The right person for the job will preferably have experience covering NCAA Division 1 athletics. You’ll need to know how the transfer portal and NIL rules are changing programs’ recruitment and retention of top talent, and you’ll break news and help fans track player and coach movement throughout the year.

You’ll need to know your X’s and O’s, but also know when to reserve that knowledge for Saturdays. This beat is about more than football – you’ll cover the cultural impact of Sanders’ presence in Boulder with local and national scope and be able to deliver stories on his influence on college admissions at CU, the community impact of his mission to develop young men as leaders, and be able to capture the excitement around the program, be it through stories about celebrity, merchandising, social media, or the restoration of fans’ interest in the Buffaloes.

This is a digital-first position that will look to engage CU fans wherever they are. You’ll build top-of-funnel following with smart vertical and social video, help fans navigate TV schedules and conference realignment with quick, snappy writing, and then help them dive deep into the personal and societal stories that you’ll find exclusively in Colorado.

This full-time, benefitted position will include regular night and weekend work, and will include weekend travel for CU games. Sanders and CU football will be the year-round focus of this position, but broader coverage of CU athletics, including Tad Boyle’s men’s basketball team, will also be part of the job.

This position will report to Coloradoan Executive Editor in Fort Collins, an hour’s drive north of Folsom Field. The selected candidate will be expected to relocate to the Fort Collins, Boulder or Denver metro area.

Here’s more about what you’ll do:

Responsibilities:

Primary responsibilities will focus on the coverage of Colorado Buffaloes football
We'd want you to be an authority on CU athletics, building relationships in the community and going well beyond the box score to tell stories.
Identify local trends and be a self-starter in pursuing evergreen and timely stories.
Use social media platforms to grow audience and as a newsgathering tool.
Use audience metrics — seeing which stories connect with readers and which ones don't — to help develop content strategies.
Collaborate with other reporters and editors as part of a local and national network.
Make sure stories are enhanced with hyperlinks, spike links, photo galleries and videos to help drive reader engagement.
Generate ideas for multimedia content — videos, podcasts, interactives, databases, etc.
Occasionally, fill in on other beats in the offseason to assist in coverage of major events including high school state tournaments and championships involving Fort Collins-area teams.

Requirements:

Bachelor's or master’s in communications, journalism or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Previous coverage of NCAA Division I athletics strongly preferred
Must be a self-starter and organized.
Must show urgency in responding to breaking news.
Adept at building a beat and developing sources.
Strong reporting and writing skills.
Must be able to multitask.
Strong communication skills.
Nights and weekends required.
This role requires a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.
Employment is contingent on passing a pre-employment, post-offer drug screen, motor vehicle record check and background check.

Compensation:

This full-time, 40-hour per week, benefitted position will be filled with an expected salary of between $50,000-$60,000 annually.

If this sounds like the next great journey for your career, here’s what we need from you.

Application Instructions:

We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

Your resume – one to two pages.
A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
Links to 3-6 online samples of your work. Show us what you’ve produced or had a hand in that best reflects what you can do in your desired role.

It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.