Shedeur Sanders claims 'no jealousy, no envy' on Colorado's roster

Shedeur Sanders likes his team. During an appearance at Big 12 Media Days, the Colorado quarterback pulled back the curtain on the attitude inside the Buffaloes’ locker room.

“I would describe it as being fun,” Sanders said. “Everybody’s out there to have great energy, and practice is definitely very competitive, and there’s no — it’s no hate, it’s no jealousy, it’s no none of that in the locker room.

“We’re missing practice today and everybody, you know, knows we’re here to represent the team. So it’s just fun. It’s fun. It’s just a loving environment, and it’s no jealousy, no envy.”

Colorado will have a new look in the 2024 campaign. The team added 44 players via the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason while losing 37. Evidently, Sanders already feels comfortable with the fresh faces. He’ll need to feel as comfortable as he can if he hopes to meet the high expectations experts have for him in the upcoming season.

ESPN projected Sanders to be the No. 2 overall pick in its latest 2025 NFL mock draft. Further, Sanders currently has +4000 odds to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy, according to FanDuel.

In his first season at Colorado, Sanders exploded for 298 completions on 430 attempts (69.3%) for 3,230 passing yards and 31 total touchdowns. Additionally, Sanders notched 111 carries for 394 yards and four scores.

With a revamped offensive line in front of him, Sanders will look to reach even greater heights in 2024. Colorado began the 2023 season with a 3-0 record but went 1-8 in its final nine games. Sanders believes he learned a lot from his debut campaign with the Buffaloes.

“You learn a lot; you learn to see who’s who when pressure gets applied,” Sanders said. “That’s the main thing. You see who points fingers [and] who don’t. You’re able to see who’s got quit in their heart, who’s got quit in their eyes [and] who don’t. So that’s the biggest thing that you take. Now, you’re able to look each guy in their eyes and understand; ‘Okay, cool. I could tell he has quit in him.’

“It’s always room for improvement… But I honestly don’t really care about the opinions of people that haven’t really played the game; I really don’t.”

Shedeur Sanders and his new teammates will take the field for the first time together when Colorado squares off against North Dakota State on Aug. 29.