Deion Sanders shuts down the idea of Shedeur Sanders leaving Colorado for NFL

Over the course of the 2023 college football season, hype has grown around Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders as an NFL quarterback.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has ranked Sanders prominently on his big board, and NFL teams have been scouting the Colorado star. Some believe Sanders should take his talents to the league as early as 2024, but Deion Sanders isn’t listening to all of that.

“Why would we, when we’re having a great time here?” Deion Sanders responded, asked if his son should look at the NFL as early as next season. “When we appreciate and love where we are, it’s hard to look at somewhere else.”

Continuing, the Buffaloes head coach, and the quarterback’s father, elaborated with some wise words when speaking on Shedeur Sanders’ pro potential, and his seemingly confirmed he’ll return to Colorado for another season in the black and gold.

“Shedeur is a pro. He’s a pro in college football,” Sanders explained. “I mean, he knows how to handle you all (the media). He knows how to handle taking care of his academics. He knows how to act in public. I mean, he’s one with the game. When he’s holding up his watch and all that stuff, that’s fine to him. He’s a kid. You guys are trying to throw adulthood on him. I want him to enjoy his life, and his game. He’s a great — you don’t know him like I know him, because I’m his dad. He’s a great human being. He’s really a great young man. He’s good for the game. He’s good for his teammates. He’s good for college football.

“The way he’s handled adversity. We’re in the same book. We’ve always won. So this is tremendously tough, hitting this hurdle that we’ve hit. So I don’t see him flinching. I don’t see him, no quit in him. No shutdown. He’s studying and preparing just as he would any other time. The same preparation when we were winning. He’s getting more treatment, because his body is tremendously sore. His body’s tremendously sore. He’s doing some of the things that he doesn’t do to go out there and make sure that he can be his best. So I’m proud of the young fella. I really am. … I’m proud of all the kids on the team.”

Alas, it makes sense for Shedeur Sanders to return to Boulder in 2024. While it isn’t officially official, having the opportunity to play for your father isn’t something most college athletes are blessed with, and to be a Heisman contender and star at that? That’s valuable.

Additionally, it isn’t like Shedeur Sanders is playing for nothing, as he’s arguably the biggest beneficiary of NIL in college football at the moment.

The NFL will beckon Shedeur Sanders eventually. For now, he’s simply looking to lead his father’s team to new heights moving forward.