Was he about to get fired at Kent State? Usually you don’t take a step back into coordinating from HCing…unless you have to.
Or maybe he just likes being an OC more.
I think there are a few reasons people think he left for what would seem like a step down.
1. The MAC to B1G pipeline has slowed down. I think Fleck is the only current B1G coach that was hired immediately from the MAC. After failures like Beckman and Hazell, I think the B1G schools realized they need to up their game with hiring coaches, and just being the best head coach in the MAC no longer makes you a preferred candidate for a major program.
2. Sean Lewis' trajectory at Kent State has somewhat slowed or even plateaued. If you want to get hired to the big time job, you have to capitalize when your stock is soaring and people think you are going to be a fast-rising star. If Sean Lewis isn't going to be dominating the MAC, then he may as well not stick around long enough to wear out his welcome and become a has-been.
So I think it makes a lot of sense. Going to Boulder you are going to have great players coming in, and you can very likely parlay any success Deion has into a very solid job. Plus you won't just be a 40 year old wizard offensive coordinator, you will be the guy who actually has head coaching experience. So I think he is much more likely to get a job in the Big 12 or Pac-12 in a few years by making this move.