Pac-12 Football

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders adopted the work hard, play hard concept for his team's spring game this year.

The Buffs took the field Saturday for their annual intrasquad scrimmage. The event included a postgame concert from Lil Wayne. Sanders and son Shedeur were both on hand for the show.

While Colorado hasn't finalized its roster for the 2024 season, the spring game was the first opportunity for fans to get a first glimpse at what's another drastically different outfit.

"I feel like we got all the negative energy out the building, so now it's just a positive vibe now," Shedeur said after the game, per The Athletic's Christopher Kamrani. "There's no real complaining. We've got to go out there and play with a clear mind."

Lil Wayne wasn't the only celebrity who made the trip to Boulder, Colorado. Fresh off his upset of Devin Haney, boxer Ryan Garcia was in attendance and wore a Buffs jersey. Maybe Coach Prime took some pointers from the 25-year-old on how to make the most of your underdog status.

Though his kids could move on to the next level after the 2024 college football season, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders will remain with the Buffaloes and won't follow his kids into the NFL, per ESPN's Andrea Adelson.

"I tell them the truth," Sanders said. "I tell them I'm a father, not a baby daddy. I don't follow my kids. I pave roads for my kids. I build generational wealth for my kids. I lead my kids. I don't follow my kids. So I do not plan on following my kids to the NFL. I have work to do here.

"I absolutely love it here, and I would never think a young brother from the South would really love it in this part of the country but I really do. ... The fan base that we have here ... I just want to really bless you with a tremendously successful team. I really do. That's my heart."

Two of Sanders' sons, Shedeur and Shilo, will suit up for their second season with the Buffaloes and will be looking to raise their draft stock.

Shedeur likely has the best chance to be a high draft pick in 2025. The quarterback had 3,320 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 2023 and is already the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in next year's draft.

If Shedeur can put up big numbers next season, he could hear his name called very early.

Shilo also had a strong showing in 2023 and could wind up going early in next year's draft. The safety had 67 tackles, three passes deflected, four forced fumbles and an interception last season.

Sanders' commitment comes as Colorado looks for a turnaround season in 2024. The Buffaloes had a shaky 4-8 season in the first year of the Deion era and are hoping for more success this year.

Colorado will bring back key returners like Shedeur, Shilo and two-way star Travis Hunter, which could go along way in improving. If they aren't able to turn things around this year, the Buffaloes at least have a long-term commitment from Sanders.

The Colorado Buffaloes spring game was not lacking in star power.

Boxer Ryan Garcia was in attendance for the game and even visited head coach Deion Sanders in his office following the game with a full Buffaloes uniform on.

Sanders expressed amusement at Garcia's outfit and even partially shadow boxed with the fighter. Sanders then expressed how proud he was of how Garcia has been performing in the ring.

Sanders notably invited Garcia to the game following the fighter's victory over Devin Haney April 20. He improved his overall record to 25-1 with 20 knockouts and could see a title fight in the near future.

Garcia accepted the invite soon after the fight and followed through on his plan to attend the game Saturday. The Buffaloes offense won the game 29-24.

Colorado went 4-8 in 2023 after a 3-1 start to the season. While this was an improvement over the team's 1-11 record in 2022, it was still a disappointment given the hot start.

Sanders promised the crowd that the Buffaloes would reach a bowl game in 2024, which is the programs first in the Big-12 conference since 2010.

Deion Sanders is setting the bar high for his Colorado Buffaloes in 2024.

The second-year head coach took the microphone following his team's annual spring game and addressed the crowd, saying that his team's goal is to "get you to a bowl game" for the 2024 season.

Colorado went 4-8 during Sanders first year. This was an improvement from the team's 1-11 season in 2022, but was still disappointing after the Buffaloes got off to a 3-1 start with notable wins over TCU and Nebraska.

The Buffaloes last reached a bowl game in 2020, when it went 4-2 in the COVID-shortened season and lost to Texas in the Alamo Bowl. Colorado has only reached bowl eligibility twice since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, but are heading back to the Big-12 in 2024 and will hope to recapture the glory the program experienced during that tenure.

The game itself pitted the Buffaloes first-team offense against the second-team defense and the first-team defense against the second-team offense. On offense, a touchdown counted for six points, a 20-yard play was worth two points and a drive of eight or more plays added another point.

On defense, a takeaway was worth six points, a sack was worth three, a pass breakup counted for two points, a blocked kick was worth three points and forcing a three-and-out possession awarded one point.

With this scoring system, the offense won 29-24 and the day produced some highlight plays from Shedeur Sanders and others.

Colorado will need to win at least two more games in 2024 to reach bowl eligibility, and will have notable games against teams like Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Arizona on the schedule.

The Buffaloes season will open up Aug. 29 against North Dakota State, with the first conference game coming against Nebraska the following week.

Shedeur Sanders is the early favorite to be the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Colorado star quarterback and son of NFL legend Deion Sanders is currently at +100 odds to be the No. 1 pick next year via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Sanders has an entire season ahead to prove that he should be the No. 1 pick, and earning the best odds could be motivation for him to live up to the lofty expectations.

Sanders has had an outstanding collegiate career so far. His best season came in 2022 when he was still at Jackson State when he notched 3,732 passing yards, 40 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

His impressive numbers continued when he joined Colorado and the Power 5 ranks, picking up 3,230 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions.

If he can perform well in the 2024 season, it won't be a surprise to see Sanders off the board very early.

As he looks to put up big numbers, he'll be looking to help the Buffaloes improve after a rocky start to the Deion era. Colorado looked poised for a big year after starting the season 3-0, but it lost seven of its last eight games to finish the year 4-8.

Along with returning Sanders, the Buffaloes will bring back two-way star Travis Hunter—another potential first-round pick. The star duo will look to lead Colorado to a better year while also raising their draft stock.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has long been rumored to be interested in making a jump to the NFL, but he made it clear that he doesn't plan on going anywhere anytime soon.

During an appearance on the All the Smoke podcast, Sanders was asked about the possibility of joining his sons, Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders and safety Shilo Sanders, when they presumably enter the NFL draft after the 2024 season. Coach Prime said he has no intentions of doing that.

"Most people ask me, 'What you gonna do when they're out, you're going to the pros together?' I said, 'A real father leads his sons, he doesn't follow them,'" Sanders said around the 16:00 mark. "So I'm good, I'll be here. I ain't going nowhere, I'm straight, I love Boulder, Colorado, and I cannot wait till they go into the NFL and do their thing."

When asked where the Sanders family will be in the next five to 10 years, he responded, "The kids will be in the pros, and I'll be here."

After coaching Jackson State to a 27-6 record over three years from 2020 to 2022, Sanders became head coach of Colorado before the 2023 campaign. After a promising 3-0 start, the Buffaloes finished with a 4-8 record.

Still, Sanders doesn't feel motivated to pursue NFL head coaching jobs at any point.

"Nah, I don't want to coach in the NFL," he reiterated around the 46:00 mark.

Former USC star Reggie Bush isn't halting his litigation against the NCAA after the Heisman Trust reinstated him as the official winner of the 2005 Heisman Trophy.

Bush filed a defamation suit against the NCAA because the organization had once said he was wrapped up in a "pay-for-play" situation while with the Trojans. He and his legal team made it clear they are still pursuing the lawsuit:

Bush explained the defamation suit was "more of being labeled a cheater," via the Associated Press.

"The trophy ... being taken away from me [was painful], but being labeled a cheater was far worse, because I've never cheated, and there's no proof of that, that I've cheated."

By and large, the decision to give Bush back his Heisman Trophy was celebrated by fans and people who follow college football. Whereas a player accepting improper benefits in 2005 was enough to warrant a major scandal and serious sanctions for their team, the dawn of the NIL era has totally shifted the paradigm.

Heisman Trust president Michael Comerford cited Wednesday "the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years" as one reason for the organization's reversal regarding the Trojans legend.

However, the Los Angeles Times' Bill Plaschke argued why returning the Heisman to Bush shouldn't equate to a form of absolution.

Maybe the NCAA rules against improper benefits were far too stringent, but they were the standards Bush and his peers had to abide by. He knowingly broke those rules, per the NCAA's investigation. Allowing athletes to now cash in on their name, image and likeness doesn't change that fact.

There's also the impact the sanctions levied against USC in the ensuing scandal had on the football program. More than a decade after the NCAA ruling came down, the Trojans are still chasing the heights they enjoyed during the Pete Carroll era.

Bush's situation isn't totally unlike Pete Rose's ongoing exile from baseball. While sports leagues including MLB have embraced sports betting with open arms, Rose committed a cardinal sin when he bet on baseball games.

Sportico's Michael McMann wrote Wednesday how Bush regaining his Heisman may not impact the NCAA's legal argument too much since the organization has nothing to do with the Heisman Trust.

"Expect the NCAA to argue at the hearing that the Trust returning the trophy is legally irrelevant to Bush's case," McCann said. "The Trust is a separate organization and a non-party whose decision about a trophy is unrelated to whether an NCAA's spokesperson's statement—which is what the case is about—was truthful and accurate."

Should his lawsuit continue on, Bush might learn how much—or how little—vindication Wednesday's announcement actually represented.

If you're a Hall-of-Fame quarterback or one of the best athletes who has ever played the position in NFL history, congratulations because you helped influence the way Shedeur Sanders plays on the field.

On the All the Smoke podcast (starts at 1:02:30 mark), Sanders cited Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Josh Allen and Michael Vick as quarterbacks he has tried to model his game after.

Based on the list Sanders was running through, it's surprising he didn't name Patrick Mahomes. But there are only so many quarterbacks who you can take things from.

Sanders has earned significant buzz as an NFL draft prospect, though he elected to return to Colorado for the 2024 season before going pro next year.

One AFC scouting director told ESPN's Matt Miller in December that Sanders would have been the No. 3 quarterback in the 2024 draft class.

"I had no idea he could spin it like that," the scouting director said of Sanders. "You saw him against small-school dudes before Colorado, but he came in dealing, and his poise in the pocket really impressed me. He would be in the QB3 conversation this year if he came out."

In September, Kyle Crabbs of Athlon Sports described Sanders as a "patient passer" who doesn't get rattled in the pocket and has the "field vision to see the defensive pursuit of both him and his receivers."

Crabbs did note the "nuances" of the position were a primary area for Sanders to improve because "his consistency in ball timing to some routes and targets may not always be perfectly synced."

Last season was Sanders' first year against Power 5 competition. He played his first two college seasons in FCS at Jackson State.

Sanders fared very well in his debut year with the Buffaloes. He threw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns, three interceptions and completed 69.3 percent of his attempts in 11 games.

If Sanders can showcase more of that ability and improve in some subtle areas of the game, he could join some of his inspirations as being a very early draft pick in 2025.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders was at a loss to ponder what his college life would've been like if he had played during the NIL era.

In an appearance on All The Smoke, Sanders joked that "I would really need Jesus to come down himself" to offer some guidance.

The Hall of Fame cornerback was certainly ahead of his time in terms of marketing himself and understanding how much money he stood to gain off the field. He was a massive star before he ever stepped onto an NFL field.

Sanders was, however, careful to caution that today's college athletes shouldn't miss the forest for the trees.

The head coach recounted to hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson a visit he recently had with the family of a prospective recruit. He said the player's mother asked about NIL, to which he told her, "That's not my department. I'm about NFL. You can talk the NIL about somebody else."

Sanders went on to say the NIL has brought unintended consequences, such as athletes receiving more scrutiny because they're no longer viewed as amateurs and something more approaching a pro player.

The Hall of Famer also explained his conflicting emotions on the transfer portal.

As a former star athlete, he believes there's a level of adversity that can be beneficial toward a player's career, and that can be lost when a player can so easily change schools. Sometimes, paying your dues and working your way up the team can yield a large return down the road.

As a coach, on the other hand, he enjoys the ability to find immediate reinforcements for his team.

Barnes and Jackson also asked Sanders his thoughts on USC guard Bronny James. He said he sympathizes with James because he carries a lot of expectations on his shoulders and has the almost impossible task of escaping the shadow of his father, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

Still, Sanders remains bullish on Bronny's potential on the hardwood.

Florida legend Tim Tebow looked happy to see the Heisman Trophy back in the possession of Reggie Bush.

The Heisman Trust announced Wednesday it reinstated the former USC running back as the winner of the 2005 award. Tebow shared a picture of Bush with the hardware and called him "one of the greatest to ever play!"

Bush forfeited the Heisman in 2010 after the NCAA levied sanctions against USC for violations regarding improper benefits toward the two-time All-American. The NCAA vacated a total of 14 wins for the Trojans across the 2004 and 2005 seasons as well.

Even at the time, no longer recognizing Bush as the Heisman winner felt a bit heavy-handed. The shifting tides on how student-athletes could be compensated thanks to NIL legislation subsequently brought more attention to how he was still being erased from the official history.

To Tebow's point, those who watched Bush at USC knew how great he was regardless of how the NCAA or Heisman Trust honored his achievements.

But it will be great to see the two-time national champion take his rightful place among the Heisman winners at the annual ceremony.