Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the son of Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, isn’t concerning himself with naysayers ahead of his final collegiate season after being one of the lone bright spots during a 4-8 campaign last fall. Sanders, rated as a three-star recruit in the 2021 cycle before signing with Jackson State, is on the preseason Heisman odds shortlist given his celebrity status and stellar play at the position.
“I came from a private school so, at the end of the day I dealt with a lot of negativity,” Sanders said Monday. “A lot of negativity, a lot of hate a lot of everything I done dealt with already, year after year. I came from a small private school. All the other kids was going (to) Power Five and they went to big, 6A Texas (high) schools and stuff. I don’t see those same kids around.
“I don’t see them excelling in their programs or whatever they’re doing. I always been against the odds in different ways.”
A couple of those “same kids” happen to be Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Texas star Quinn Ewers, who played at Texas 6A schools Tompkins and Southlake Carroll during their prep careers, and are coming off playoff appearances.
Shedeur Sanders projects as one the 2025 NFL Draft’s top quarterbacks options if his senior season with the Buffaloes goes as expected and he avoids injury. Sanders was ranked No. 2 in 247Sports’ 2024 preseason ranking of quarterbacks nationally.
Behind one of the country’s most porous offensive lines last season, Sanders proved his worth within the Power Five after throwing 27 touchdown passes in essentially 10 games. He officially had 11 starts, but only played a couple series against Washington State in November before leaving the Buffaloes’ penultimate contest with an injury.
Deion Sanders said this month ahead of next year’s 2025 NFL Draft that if he has any control over it, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will have some say in dictating their NFL homes. Sanders’ latest pre-draft take comes a week after he publicly advised former USC quarterback Caleb Williams to avoid going to Chicago Bears if possible, citing weather conditions that could stunt his growth as a player.
Sanders predicts Shedeur Sanders and Hunter would go “top four” in next year’s cycle.
“All this is subjective because I know where I kind of want them to go,” Sanders said during this week’s Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast. “And let’s not forget Shilo (Sanders). But I know where I want them to go. There’s certain cities where it ain’t going to happen. …It’s going to be an Eli [Manning]. We ain’t doing that.”
The “Eli” saga, as Sanders recalls, goes back to when the multi-time Super Bowl champion declined to play for the San Diego Chargers, who took him No. 1 overall in 2004. That forced a trade to the New York Giants and the rest was history.
Earlier this month, Sanders said the team who drafts you matters, especially the elements.
“Come on, man. You gotta factor in that stuff. That stuff matters,” Sanders said on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk. “Like, I don’t want my kid (Shedeur Sanders) going nowhere cold next year. He grew up in Texas. He played in Jackson, played in Colorado. Season’s over before it gets cold in Colorado. I’m just thinking way ahead. I don’t want that for him.”
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Colorado opens its 2024 season against North Dakota State on Aug. 31.
