Pac-12 Football

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will have his signature Watch Flex celebration in the upcoming release of EA Sports College Football 25, and he had the chance to celebrate the moment on Wednesday.

While speaking to reporters at Big 12 Media Days, Sanders was pleased with the fact that the celebration will be exclusive to Colorado players in the game.

"As it should, as Colorado should, we created it, so why would it be accessible for everybody? So that's a perk of playing with Colorado, you're able to be able to show the ice. You're able to put the wrist up. You're able to be able to be a part of me, in a sense. You're able to be a part of the team, the culture, everything."

Sanders popularized the celebration during his stellar 2023 season with the Buffaloes in which he threw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions while completing 69.3 percent of his passes.

Sanders and his father, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, will be looking to lead the Buffaloes to a strong start in 2024 following their 4-8 finish to the 2023 season.

Deion Sanders soaked up some sun to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.

In the latest Well Off Media Vlog, Sanders was surrounded by friends and family at the Miami Beach Marina in his luxury boat.

The vessel featured an on-board hot tub, multiple bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area and a large bathroom. When asked about the chance to enjoy the holiday, Sanders reflected on living his best life and said he was guided to enjoy the moment.

"God told me to start living," Sanders said. "Start living, and it ain't got nothing to do with the financial aspect of your life, it has nothing to do with your location. It has nothing to do with a lot of the things you think it may. Just start living."

This trip comes just before he and the Buffaloes will gear up for the 2024 season. He is entering his second season with the program and is hoping Colorado will be ready to take a step forward as it re-enters the Big-12.

The Buffaloes went 4-8 in 2023 and missed out on bowl eligibility. While this was an improvement from a 1-11 season in 2022, it was disappointing for a team that started the season 3-0 and had significant hype with Sanders at head coach, his son Shedeur at quarterback and two-way phenom Travis Hunter making an impact in multiple phases of the game.

Sanders will soon return his focus to helping the Buffaloes prepare for the new season. They will open up the 2024 slate at home, taking on FCS North Dakota State August 29 at 8 P.M. ET.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders has a similar playing style to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith coming out of college, according to NFL.com analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah.

Smith joined the NFL as a second-round pick by the New York Jets in 2013 after four seasons with West Virginia.

"Like Smith during his time with the Mountaineers, Sanders plays in a wide-open college offense that showcases his polish as a passer," Jeremiah wrote. "Both Smith and Sanders have beautiful throwing motions and deliver a firm/catchable ball. While each is capable of taking the free yards presented in the run game, neither is dynamic as a ball-carrier.

"Following a long, rocky start to this NFL career, Smith blossomed into a Pro Bowl quarterback. I see similar upside in Sanders."

Jeremiah continued: "They are point guards who play really well within the confines of the play call; they aren't unscripted, creative playmaker types. It'll be important for Sanders' NFL team to realize how to best utilize his skill set."

Sanders passed for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions in 11 appearances for the Buffaloes during the 2023 season while generating buzz as a potential top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sanders finished his sophomore season having completed 69.6 percent of his passes behind an offensive line that struggled to protect him.

Deion Sanders and the Buffs have shored up their offensive line this offseason by adding recruits like five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, but a tough test awaits Colorado as it gets primed for a return to the Big 12 in 2024.

With Shedeur presumably having the benefit of better protection, scouts should garner a better understanding of his true ceiling under center before he bolts for the NFL.

The 2024 college football season will be the first without legendary coach Nick Saban in nearly two decades, and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders recently paid him respect.

While speaking on The Joel Klatt Show, Sanders declared that Saban, who retired in January after spending the last 17 seasons as head coach of Alabama, is the pinnacle of what college coaches aspire to become.

"First of all, let's just get this straight, he's the magna cum laude, he is it. He is what we attain to just get next to, we'll never eclipse it whatsoever," Sanders said around the 16:35 mark. "[He's the best] ever. Ever, let's get that straight."

Sanders went on to suggest that part of the reason that Saban decided to step down was due to college football's ever-changing landscape. The implementation of NIL and new transfer rules along with conference realignment have brought new obstacles for coaches to navigate through, and Sanders believes these changes drove the 72-year-old away from the game.

"I just hate it for him, because I felt as though he had so much more left, but I understand when it's not in you to do it that way, and you want to do it this way," Sanders said. "Shoot, it was like, 'Man, we lost the OG. We lost the OG.' He means so much to me personally... I hate that we lost him for college football's sake, and why. It shouldn't be that way."

Saban led Alabama to six national titles and a 206-29 record over his 17-year tenure, so he has earned the right to kick his feet up and enjoy retirement.

It will be a tough act to follow, but Kalen DeBoer was hired as Saban's replacement and will look to lead Alabama back to national championship contention in 2024.

Deion Sanders is still annoyed with a report that said he made Colorado players attend his son Shedeur's rap concert with Lil Wayne.

The Colorado coach addressed players in the locker room and joked about the report in the latest video posted to the Well Off Media YouTube channel.

"I'm still mad at y'all who didn't go watch Shedeur," Sanders joked (2:30 mark). "How stupid was that? Good lord."

Steve Corder of Athlon Sports reported Sanders made the concert "mandatory" and threatened to kick players who did not attend off the team. According to the report, it was the "final straw" for some players who decided to transfer from the program.

Shedeur Sanders opened for Lil Wayne's concert after Colorado's spring game in April. While several teammates were in attendance, it does not appear any who chose not to attend the concert were dismissed from the program.

Colorado was 4-8 during Sanders' first year with the program, taking the nation by storm with a 3-0 start before losing eight of its last nine games. The Buffaloes come into 2024 with major expectations, as Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter are on the radar of NFL scouts and Heisman watchlists.

Travis Hunter is a do-everything superstar at Colorado, but NFL scouts reportedly think he'll need to focus on being a receiver at the next level.

Matt Miller of ESPN reported scouts peg Hunter more as a receiver, "where Hunter's speed and electric ability with the ball in his hands is best utilized, whereas at cornerback he would need to focus on technique more and rely less on winning with speed."

Hunter played both wide receiver and cornerback last season, racking up 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns while adding 31 tackles and three interceptions on the defensive side.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has said Hunter should play both ways in the NFL.

"The NFL [has] got a problem," Sanders told reporters in the spring. "What are you gonna draft him as? And he's gotta play both ways. Because he has value on both sides of the ball."

Hunter is widely viewed as a first-round pick, but the results vary on where he might wind up being selected. His two-way versatility has been a massive boon for Sanders yet makes it harder for teams to project how he would do if he specialized on one position full time.

Sanders' presence also makes things more difficult for NFL teams. The Hall of Fame cornerback claims he will steer Hunter and his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, to certain teams in the pre-draft process.

"I know where I want them to go," Sanders said on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast. "So, its certain cities that ain't gonna happen. It's going to be an Eli."

Colorado junior Travis Hunter has already proved he can excel on both offense and defense, but he's looking to add special teams to the list during the 2024 season.

Hunter was challenged by YouTuber Deestroying to kick an extra point during the upcoming campaign, and he said he would love the opportunity to achieve the feat.

"Next year that's the goal, man," Hunter said around the 2:50 mark.

Hunter appeared in nine games for the Buffaloes in 2023 and recorded 57 catches for 721 yards and five touchdowns on offense while also adding 30 total tackles, five passes defended and three interceptions on the other side of the ball.

The two-way star is expected to be one of the top prospects in the 2025 draft, and it will be interesting to see if he commits to one side of the ball when he reaches the next level.

For now, Hunter still wants to try it all, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get the chance to kick a PAT if Colorado finds itself in a blowout during the upcoming season.

A federal judge denied a request by Colorado safety Shilo Sanders to dismiss a complaint in connection to his bankruptcy case, according to USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer.

Schrotenboer previously reported Sanders filed for bankruptcy, citing debts incurred when a default judgment went against him in a 2022 civil trial.

A security guard from Sanders' high school, John Darjean, had filed suit, claiming to have suffered permanent injuries as the result from an alleged assault by Sanders in 2015. Sanders didn't appear for the trial, so Darjean was awarded $11.89 million by default.

According to The Athletic's Christopher Kamrani, Sanders said in his bankruptcy filing he made a gross income of $193,713 in 2023 and listed among his assets a 2023 Mercedes GLE worth $75,900.

Darjean countered that Sanders' net worth is higher than what he portrayed in the filing, alleging the graduate student transferred money into one of his LLCs. Judge Michael Romero found the argument compelling, per Schrotenboer.

"The Complaint contains sufficient allegations that Sanders's companies function as his alter egos and that the corporate veils of the LLCs should be pierced," Romero wrote in his ruling.

The judge, however, conceded that Darjean "faces a high burden to demonstrate all necessary factors at trial" in terms of finding grounds to actually pierce the veil of Sanders' LLCs.

Sportico's Michael McCann wrote that Romero's ruling was itself "a win for Darjean" albeit "in language that favors Sanders."

Darjean has until June 27 to submit an amended complaint to the court.

Sanders is approaching his final season of college. He started his career at South Carolina in 2019 before transferring to Jackson State in 2021 to play under his father, Deion Sanders. He subsequently followed Deion to Colorado, appearing in 11 games and finishing with 69 tackles and one interception in 2023.

Baby Gronk's commitment cycle continued Friday as the viral youth football player gave his pledge to Washington.

This list of schools that Baby Gronk has "committed" to is getting hard to keep track of, but within the past few weeks alone he's given his pledge to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Texas Tech, Penn State, Clemson and Texas A&M. The list is much more extensive than just those schools, though.

Of course, Baby Gronk's commitments are completely unofficial as he's not yet eligible to give any kind of official pledge at just 11 years old. He has also not received any collegiate football offers, according to On3's recruiting database.

The social media posts claiming he's committed to schools are likely an attempt by his father, Jake San Miguel, to continue growing Baby Gronk's social media following, which has amassed more than 500,000 followers across Instagram and X.

With the lengths taken to achieve viral fame, many have questioned if the Baby Gronk bit has gone too far, including his namesake, Rob Gronkowski. Last summer as Baby Gronk rose to prominence, Gronkowski said it's become "awkward" and "it's too far."

That hasn't stopped Baby Gronk from continuing his commitment carousel, and it seems it won't end anytime soon.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders denies that he mandated his team attend a concert where his son Shedeur Sanders was opening for Lil Wayne, as Steve Corder originally reported for Athlon Sports.

The concert took place at the University of Colorado Boulder after the Buffaloes' spring game in April.

"According to CU player sources, Sanders made the concert mandatory for all his players and reportedly threatened to dismiss anyone who skipped out," Corder wrote.

Corder reported that one source called the event "the final straw for a few players who hit the transfer portal."

Sanders called the report "one of the best lies I've heard" in a Friday post on X.

After the intrasquad game, which was attended by more than 28,000 fans, Shedeur Sanders started off his second season as the Buffaloes' starting quarterback by performing an original song titled "Perfect Timing."

The Buffaloes have so far bid farewell to a total of 41 outgoing transfers, per 247Sports. The team marked a 4-8 record after undergoing almost a near-complete roster overhaul last spring prior to Sanders' first year as head coach.