Has Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders adjusted to the FBS from HBCU Football?

To no one’s shock, after a handful of seasons at Jackson State, NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders packed his bags and headed West for the head coaching job at the University of Colorado. In his first meeting with the Colorado Buffaloes football team, Sanders had a viral quote in reference to his incoming transfers: “I’m bringing my luggage with me, and it’s Louis [Vuitton].”

Among those transfers was Sanders’ youngest son, Shedeur. Coming out of high school, 247 Sports ranked the younger Sanders as a three-star quarterback prospect. Greg Biggins of 247 Sports projected Sanders as a future Day 3 draft pick (between rounds 4-7) with a skillset that reminded him of NFL journeyman Jacoby Brissett.

“Highly productive and a winner with a pair of state championships to his name,” Biggins wrote in his 2020 evaluation. “Athletic frame, moves well and can extend plays. Does a nice job making that initial pass rusher miss, doesn’t panic and shows poise and calmness in the pocket. Has dual-threat ability and can pick up [big] chunks of yards with his legs but doesn’t take off and run as much as you would expect. Has enough arm strength to get the ball down the field and shows nice touch on his deep ball. Can tighten his release a bit but has some solid tools that project well to college. Upside is an impact upper tier Power 5 starter and potential NFL draft pick.”

Biggins was right. Sanders received offers from multiple FBS programs: Florida State, Baylor, Louisville, Syracuse, Florida, LSU, Georgia, Arizona State, Alabama, Michigan. Everyone wanted in on the son of Prime Time.

Instead of choosing any of those programs, though, Sanders and his brother, Shilo, a defensive back, followed their father to Jackson State as “Coach Prime” began his coaching career on the collegiate level. As a freshman, Shedeur absolutely lit up the SWAC. He won SWAC Freshman of the year, Jerry Rice FCS National Freshman of the Year, and All-SWAC Second Team honors. In 2021, he completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,231 yards, 30 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He also ran for three touchdowns. Sanders powered the Tigers to an overall 11-2 record. They burned through the SWAC, going 8-0 and defeating Prairie View A&M in the conference championship game. Jackson State’s dominance, however, came to a close against South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl. The Tigers mustered a measly 10 points as Sanders completed 16 of 36 passing attempts for 175 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.

In the offseason, Jackson State made national headlines as they swiped five star cornerback and wide receiver prospect Travis Hunter away from Florida State. Hunter’s presence surely had an impact on Sanders’ stats. In 2022, he jumped to a completion percentage over 70 percent and threw for 3,732 yards, 40 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also only took 23 sacks, the lowest of his collegiate career.

Once again, Jackson State had an impressive season. They improved to a 12-1 overall record, defeating Southern in the SWAC Championship and returning to the Celebration Bowl. Although the Tigers fell short again, this time to North Carolina Central, no one could place blame on Shedeur Sanders’ shoulders. He completed 30 of 40 passing attempts for 349 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Most notably, he led Jackson State down the field at the end of the fourth quarter, willing them to a last-second, fourth down score to send the game to overtime.

Some people in college football may have had concerns about Sanders’ transition to FBS football after transferring to Colorado. Those concerns should have immediately dissipated following the Buffaloes’ first game against TCU, who had just been in the College Football Championship game the season prior. Deion, Shedeur, and Colorado put the NCAA on notice with their 45-42 victory over TCU. Despite taking four sacks, Sanders had the best game of his career, completing 80 percent of his passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns.

To be fair, TCU lost some of their players to the NFL Draft. No matter, Sanders continued the excellence against a Big 10 opponent, Nebraska. In Colorado’s 36-14 win, Sanders finished seven yards shy of 400, threw two touchdowns and ran for one, but ended up sacked seven times.

The next week, Colorado had an early game-of-the-year matchup against Colorado State as head coaches Deion Sanders and Jay Norvell jawed back and forth in the media. In the meantime, Shedeur recorded another masterclass, throwing for 348 yards and a touchdown. He registered his first interception of the year, though, and took another four sacks.

After the Colorado State game, the Buffaloes’ season took a nosedive. Although they had a raucous few weeks to start, there was a glaring talent gap between their roster and the rest of the PAC 12. Colorado only finished 4-6, but that was a marked improvement over their 1-11 record prior to the Sanders’ takeover.

The 2024 season is likely Sanders’ last before he enters the NFL Draft. Throughout his first three years in college, though, he’s certainly outpaced Biggins’ expectations of a Day 3 pick. Though the 2025 quarterback draft class isn’t as stellar as this year’s edition, Sanders will likely be a first or second round pick. Right now, the NFL Draft Buzz website has Sanders ranked first ahead of Penn State’s Drew Allar, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. While Shedeur Sanders certainly has more developing to do, he has more than adjusted to FBS football and is poised to take on the challenges of the NFL soon enough.

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