- NCAA. Shedeur Sanders faces a stigma and 'convinces' a desperate team not to draft him
- NCAA. Deion Sanders stays unbothered as Shedeur roasts him but the real message runs deeper
The next season for the Colorado Buffaloes will be very different from the last two years with the Heisman winnerTravis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, the quarterback and son of coach Deion Sanders leaving to the NFL. Last season's nine wins were the most for the Buffaloes since 2016, but the end was far from ideal with a crushing 36-14 loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl. The loss marked yet another year without a bowl game victory for the Boulder team - the last time they won one was in the now-defunct Houston Bowl in 2004 when Travis and Shedeur where just babys. That has to be on Deion's mind, and winning a bowl game should be his top goal for next season. He has already made the team more relevant and successful-let's not forget that the season before Deion arrived, the Buffaloes won just one game. He won four games in his first year and doubled that in his second year - a real turnaround.
Deion now has two NFL Hall of Famers on his coaching staff - Warren Sapp (defensive line), who was there last season, and now he add former MVP and Super Bowl championMarshall Faulk as running backs coach. Faulk's addition signals a major shift for Colorado as Sanders looks to rebuild an offense that relied heavily on Shedeur's ing the past two seasons. Even with these elite coaches, on a more personal and sentimental level, next season won't be easy for Deion. After seven years of coaching alongside his sons - first as offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian High School, then at Jackson State and finally at Colorado - he will no longer have them by his side.
Deion's Double Standard When Coaching
The motivation must be that both are now headed to the NFL, along with his "adopted" son Travis Hunter, proving that Deion has done his job as a coach and, more importantly, as a father. Now, without them, Deion will no longer have his favorites in practice. Seriously, he even itted that he essentially had a double standard for how he treated his sons compared to other players. Here's what Deion told SiriusXM about his sons' absence next season: "I don't have to worry about Shilo getting there on time, and I don't have to worry about Shedeur messing with me all week.
It will undoubtedly be difficult for Deion to see his family leave, but he will likely be at ease watching them play in the NFL. Shedeur is projected to be the second quarterback taken behind Cam Ward, and with the top three teams (Titans, Browns, Giants) all in need of a quarterback, he could be selected even earlier than his father was in 1989 when he went fifth overall. Of course, that depends on what those teams do in free agency, which begins March 12.
Meanwhile, Heisman winner Travis Hunter is one of the top prospects in this draft class, along with Abdul Carter, and will likely be selected within the first five picks - if not first overall. Hunter will be at the NFL Combine as a cornerback, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him participate in receiving drills. It would be historic if the Titans select him, as no cornerback has ever been taken first overall, and no wide receiver has gone first overall since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. As for Shilo, his path is much tougher - he will either be a day-three selection or an undrafted free agent, largely because he is Deion's son.
Sanders Sends Warning to New Recruits
Sanders is using the offseason to give interviews and share his expectations for players coming to Colorado. Consider this a fair warning-Deion is making it clear to new and future recruits what it takes to be part of his team. On the "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast, Deion said, "You know the attention we get. When you're ballin', you're going to get all the attention in the world. But when you ain't, they gonna hate. And can you handle these lights, man?"
Not everyone can handle the pressure of being in the spotlight, but with Deion as a mentor, confidence should come naturally. After all, we're talking about "Prime Time" himself, giving these young players advice. There's still a long way to go, but if new quarterback Jordan Lewis adapts well and performs as expected, I see a real chance for Colorado to win its first bowl game in over 20 years and emerge as a dark horse contender for the College Football Playoff.