Colorado Buffaloes Football

Shedeur Sanders will likely be one of the first players off the board in this year's NFL draft, perhaps even the first player drafted.

But the Colorado star quarterback isn't concerned about his draft position. He's more worried about landing on the team that he fits into the best.

"These are good problems to have," Sanders said (7:40 mark). "You could be in a way worse situation, so being No. 1, that don't really matter to me at the end of the day. That don't matter to me because, yeah I could go No. 1, but it may not be a fit. Or I could go No. 2 and it would be a fit, or I could go No. 3 and it would be a fit. It's all about fit. Any situation you're going into is not going to be the best situation, so the numbers of it, I'm not really caught up in that."

Sanders is coming an outstanding final season with Colorado, throwing for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He helped lead the Buffaloes to a 9-3 record as they just missed out on making the Big 12 title game.

Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department projects Sanders to be the first overall pick to the Tennessee Titans. Even if he isn't taken that early, it seems Sanders won't have any hard feelings.

Deion Sanders, who was tied to the Dallas Cowboys' head coaching vacancy before the team promoted former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to the role, says he wasn't cut out for an NFL head coaching job.

Sanders discussed his candidacy in a conversation with former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman on his Tubi talk show "We Got Time Today," per Reuters.

"I couldn't coach pro ball," Sanders said.

Sanders continued: "I couldn't coach pro ball, because the way they practice, the way they go about it, I couldn't take it. As a man, and as a football enthusiast, and I care about the game. The game is still providing for Troy and I, so there is no way I could allow that to happen on my watch. That would be tough."

Sanders has previously given similar answers when asked about potentially coaching in the NFL. He told Bri Amaranthus of Sports Illustrated in 2023, ahead of his first season with Colorado, that he didn't "have any desire or ambition to coach in the NFL."

"I have a problem with men getting their checks and not doing their jobs," Sanders said in 2023. "I would be too tough as a coach in the NFL because I still have those old-school attributes."

Although the Cowboys only officially interviewed Schottenheimer, Leslie Frazier, Robert Saleh and Kellen Moore for the open head coaching position, owner and general manager Jerry Jones also reportedly held a "informal meeting" with Sanders, per DallasCowboys.com's Nick Eatman.

After that talk, Sanders told ESPN's Adam Schefter in January it had been "intriguing" to hear from Jones.

"I love Jerry and believe in Jerry," Sanders said, per Schefter. "After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it's intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community."

Sanders' sons, Shilo and Shedeur Sanders, are joining two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter in leaving Colorado for the 2025 NFL Draft. If Sanders remains in Boulder without them, the third-year Buffaloes head coach will be tasked with rebuilding his team around a new quarterback this fall.

Many athletes believe they could play two sports at a high level if they really dedicated themselves to it, but Travis Hunter might be one of the few who could actually pull it off.

The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner once again showed off his basketball skills during pregame warmups with the Colorado team, including making a half-court shot and executing a between-the-legs dunk (starts at 7:55 mark).

It's not a surprise that Hunter has more than enough athleticism to be an electrifying talent in basketball. There have been many highlights of him on the court during his two years at Colorado.

It's too bad Hunter didn't actually play in a game with the Buffaloes' basketball team. They could use his help, as they are 9-11 overall this season and have lost each of their first nine Big 12 games.

On a recent episode of The Travis Hunter Show, Hunter said he can play basketball, run track, long jump, high jump and 400 meters. He even joked about possibly shifting from football to baseball after seeing some of the recent high-dollar contracts that have been handed out to players like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto:

"I ain't gonna lie. Baseball making that money, so I might make the transition soon. Be like a Coach Prime, Deion Sanders—get my millions over there while I get my millions in the NFL. I could go out there and be a good outfielder. Steal bases—I can steal bases for you. I might not be able to hit for nothing, but I can learn that."

Until Hunter learns how to hit baseballs, though, he will most likely focus a lot of his immediate attention of getting ready for the NFL. The 21-year-old is expected to be one of the top players selected in the 2025 draft.

B/R's NFL scouting department has Hunter ranked as the No. 1 overall player in this year's draft class. He will almost certainly become the first Colorado player selected in the first round since 2011 when both Nate Solder and Jimmy Smith were taken.

Hunter won the Heisman Trophy this year after a historic season that saw him dominate on both sides of the ball. He finished with 1,258 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns on offense, along with 11 pass breakups and four interceptions as a cornerback.

Shedeur Sanders is unsure if he will throw at the NFL scouting combine next month in Indianapolis, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.

After meeting with the three teams holding the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft—Tennessee, Cleveland and the New York Giants—the former Colorado Buffalos quarterback is now focused on letting his words speak louder than his skills.

"I like that I'm able to get in the forefront of everything and they're able to understand me and ask me whatever questions they want," Sanders said, per Oyefusi. "I'm not ducking. I ain't hiding. I'm right here, live in the flesh and able to answer whatever questions are out there."

While Shedeur is attending the East-West Shrine Bowl, he will not participate in Thursday's game, instead choosing to watch from the sideline.

The 6'2" quarterback remains confident in his potential to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft as he trains in Dallas alongside another top quarterback prospect, Miami's Cam Ward, per Oyefusi.

"We changed the program at Jackson (State University)," Shedeur said, per Oyefusi. "We went to Colorado, changed the program. And we did everything people didn't think we were able to do. So, that's why I know I'm the most guaranteed risk you can take."

Shedeur finished his senior year with the Buffs throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns while holding a quarterback rating of 75.5.

The son of Deion Sanders—the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft—expressed gratitude for the opportunities ahead, saying, "I'll be thankful for whatever situation and whoever drafts me. I know I'll be able to change their program." He added that he hopes to bring "a lot of wins" to whichever team he joins, per Oyefusi.

Deion has faced criticism after reportedly joining his son's meeting with the Tennessee Titans via FaceTime. However, Shedeur did not have an issue with his father's involvement after the meeting went well.

ESPN's Turron Davenport stated, "He made a good impression on them. They really like his personality, feel he's very mature. Deion hit him on FaceTime during the meeting."

"I didn't know your parents being involved and wanting the best for you is a problem," Shedeur told reporters. "I think as parents, each and every one would want the best for their kids. The fact that he has the opportunity to do that for me and he has the best quarterback in the country, he's supposed to do that."

Despite the Sanders' confidence, the Bleacher Report scouting department projects Shedeur to be drafted No. 16 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, scheduled for April 24th.

The signature shoes of Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders have made a return.

Sanders' Air Nike Diamond Turf 1 sneakers released online at 10 a.m. ET on Friday for $150 on Nike's website and were eventually sold out later in the afternoon (h/t USA Today's Jonathan Limehouse).

The Atlanta Falcons, one of Sanders' former teams during his NFL career, announced a shoe giveaway on social media.

The Diamond Turf 1 was originally introduced in 1994, representing Sanders' first signature sneaker. Per Nike's website, the latest release of the shoe features "Air units in the heel and forefoot, plus durable leather and a midfoot strap for a secure fit."

Sanders' relationship with the company turned sour after his playing days came to a close, although both sides worked things out prior to his first season with the Buffaloes in 2023 (via USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer).

Colorado is coming off a successful 2024 campaign under its head coach, as the team's 9-4 record represented the school's first year with at least nine wins since 2016. Buffaloes two-way standout Travis Hunter also became the first Buffaloes player to win the Heisman Trophy since 1994.

As Sanders prepares for his third season in Boulder, his iconic sneakers were released on Friday.

Colorado self-reported an NCAA recruiting violation after the name of Julian "JuJu" Lewis was mentioned on the school's weekly coaching show with head coach Deion Sanders in November, according to Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today, prior to Lewis signing with the Buffs in December

Per that report, Colorado "decided to stop livestreaming its weekly coaches show with Sanders and also removed two episodes of the show from YouTube last fall."

Coaches are not permitted to publicize recruits before those players are signed at the school, though it is considered a minor offense unless it is deemed an ongoing pattern. At the time Lewis was mentioned on the program, he had committed but was not yet eligible to officially sign, making it a violation.

After Lewis' commitment in November, host Mark Johnson alluded to the news but didn't mention the player by name while asking Sanders how he approaches communicating with recruits and their families.

"Hey, get JuJu on the phone and get his pop on the phone," Sanders replied as an example. "See if his dad want to come down and just sit down and chop it up with me. [His father] sat in my office I think a few weeks ago for a couple hours. I said, 'C,mon, give it all to me because I know you've got a bunch of questions on your mind. Let's go.' And we did that. And he walked away feeling really comfortable about where we're headed."

In the second incident, a second host mentioned Lewis by name, though Sanders did not. Both episodes were removed from YouTube.

Alongside self-reporting the situation, Colorado docked itself four recruiting-person days in spring 2025 and had Sanders undergo further education surrounding recruiting rules.

Colorado also said it would "implement new institutional controls on the football weekly coaches show. The content will no longer be livestreamed. External relations will therefore be able to review and edit content that could be construed as impermissible publicity of (recruits)."

Since Sanders was hired in Dec. 2022, the Buffs have self-reported 17 minor infractions in total to the NCAA. All were considered minor breaches of technicalities within the recruiting process and didn't result in significant penalties.

"We take all infractions seriously, regardless of the severity, and in these specific cases, these minor infractions were all self-reported to the NCAA," the school said in a statement. "This demonstrates the effectiveness of our established compliance systems which are the basis of our department's positive partnership with the NCAA."

Colorado star Shedeur Sanders is widely considered to be one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL draft class, but one expert suggested that not every team is convinced of his chances to be successful at the professional level.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah said there isn't a consensus belief that Sanders is a future franchise quarterback.

"There's pretty split opinions around the league, it's pretty polarizing, actually," Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah praised Sanders for his accuracy and toughness, but he noted that some evaluators question if any of his skills are in "elite" territory. Still, he said he views the 22-year-old as one of the top two signal-callers in the upcoming draft along with Miami's Cam Ward.

"I think you get him in the right place, you protect him, he's a point guard, he can be very, very efficient," Jeremiah said of Sanders.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department also ranks Ward slightly ahead of Sanders on its draft big board. Sanders will have a few months to change people's minds before the draft begins on April 24.

Colorado has reportedly "stepped up pretty significantly" for head coach Deion Sanders amid reports that he and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have talked Dallas' open head coaching position.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported the latest on the Rich Eisen Show.

"I heard Colorado has stepped up pretty significantly...for him," Feldman said when Eisen asked if Sanders was "going anywhere or staying put."

"I know Rick George, the AD, has a lot of value for Deion and what he's meant to the program. Not only what he's meant to the program, what it's meant to the school, meant to the state. All of it..."

Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz first reported the Jones-Sanders talks.

However, the latest news from Jon Machota of The Athletic suggests that Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is "the front-runner right now" for the job.

The team also just brought in Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for a second interview, per NFL Network.

DallasCowboys.com staff writer Patrik Walker provided more insight.

Putting it altogether, one can surmise that Moore and Schottenheimer (perhaps in that order) are one-two in the race, with everyone else far behind.

Even though Dallas may not end up being Sanders' landing spot in 2025, his success has led to rumors and speculation that he could leave Colorado for other opportunities.

Of note, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Jan. 11 that Sanders "has a very strong interest" in the Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching job.

However, it appears that Sanders could very well be staying in Boulder at this point. That's a huge win for Colorado, which was 1-11 in 2022 (the year before Sanders' arrival) before improving to 9-4 (and the No. 25 spot in the final Association Press poll) this season.

Sanders signed a five-year, $29.5 million contract with the school before the 2022 season. But given his success, the Feldman report and the threat of a leave to the NFL, one can assume that Sanders could be getting a much-deserved raise and a reworked deal.

For the first time since 2016, Colorado ended the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The Buffaloes dropped five spots to No. 25 in the final poll, which was released Tuesday after the full results from the postseason bowls. Colorado lost 36-14 to BYU in the Alamo Bowl to finish 9-4 on the year.

While head coach Deion Sanders is losing starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, he can point to the progress Colorado made in 2024 as a reason to be excited for what's ahead. Colorado also has six 4-star commits in its 2025 recruiting class and plenty of reinforcements arriving through the transfer portal.

But the big question is whether Sanders will be around to continue his project.

The Hall of Fame cornerback said in November that he had "a kickstand down" in Boulder, Colorado, to illustrate his commitment to the program.

However, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore reported on Jan. 11 that "NFL-connected associates of Sanders" indicated to the Las Vegas Raiders his interest in that vacancy. Two days later, ESPN's Todd Archer reported Sanders had spoken with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network on Sunday threw some cold water on the idea of Sanders returning to Dallas, where he played for five seasons. Rapoport reported had yet to schedule an interview with Coach Prime and that he'd be "very surprised" if a formal meeting came together.

This could all be a leverage play for Sanders, whose five-year, $29.5 million contract with Colorado looks like a bargain in the present market. Courting outside interest is a time-tested way for a college football coach to get a raise, and even the legendary Nick Saban wasn't above utilizing the tactic.

Announcing an extension with Sanders would put all of the NFL speculation to bed for now. The Buffs could, however, find themselves in the exact same position next winter if they remain competitive in the Big 12 and a Top 25 team in 2025.