The in-game decision by Colorado State head coach Jim Mora on Saturday to change defensive play-callers led to the dismissal of the Rams’ defensive coordinator.
As he watched Oregon State pile up the yards in an eventual 56-26 loss, Mora told defensive coordinator Tyson Summers that he was done calling plays for the day. Mora transferred the duties to associate head coach and defensive line coach Kenny McClendon.
When Summers departed the field after his demotion, that ended his tenure at Colorado State.
“Tyson was relieved of his play-calling duties. He left the field, and he is no longer with this football program,” Mora said postgame. “That is permanent.”
The change occurred in the first half, per local reports. At halftime, the Beavers had a 35-14 lead. Oregon State finished with 650 yards of total offense — 223 on the ground and 427 via air as Beavers quarterback Braden Atkinson finished the game 31-of-34 passing with five touchdowns.
Summers, 46, has an extensive coaching background, beginning in the college ranks at his alma mater – Presbyterian – in 2003. He got his first chance as a defensive coordinator at UCF (2012-14), followed by a season as DC and safeties coach at Colorado State, departing for a two-year stint as head coach at Georgia Southern.
Summers also spent two seasons as the DC at Colorado (2019-20), then three at Western Kentucky in the same role (2022-24) before returning to Colorado State in 2025 as DC under Jay Norvell.
When Norvell was fired seven games into last season, Summers took over as interim coach, and the Rams finished with an 0-5 record.
Colorado State (2-3), which has not finished above .500 since 2017, snatched Mora last fall from UConn, where he rebuilt the struggling program in four seasons. Previously the head coach at UCLA and in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, Mora kept Summers on board.
Mora, 64, said McClendon will be the defensive coordinator for the rest of the season.
“He was put in a very difficult situation, and he responded well, the players responded well,” Mora said. “Very first play he called as a defensive coordinator in his entire life was a sack, caused a fumble. So we’re going to get better, we’re going to get a lot better. He’s a good football coach.”
Colorado State defeated Wyoming and Southern Utah to start the season, allowing 37 total points. Since then, in losses to BYU, UTSA and Oregon State, the Rams have surrendered 156 points — an average of 52 per game.
