Shedeur Sanders responds to those doubting him, Colorado ahead of 2023 season

Last season at Jackson State, current Colorado Buffaloes starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders found himself ranked among the elite quarterbacks in college football. Still, as he prepares for his first season in Colorado and on a Power-5 roster, the Buffaloes signal-caller has plenty of doubters about his capability to repeat what he did a season ago.

Recently, Sanders sat down with Fox Sports RJ Young and discussed this expectation for the 2023 season. And while plenty of people doubt his play as a quarterback, he says the numbers speak for themselves.

“I don’t know. That’s for them to figure out. The stats speak for themselves,” said Sanders. “All I can do is just take it game by game, week by week, day by day, rep by rep. Like I can’t control what everybody else’s narrative and everything. Does it seem fair? No. But at the end of the day, I’m not really too concerned about it.”

As Young highlights in his question, Sanders was one of three quarterbacks last season who passed for more than 3,500 yards with 40 or greater touchdowns and six or fewer interceptions. At Jackson State, he finished the year with 3732 yards through the air, 40 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Sanders also had 183 rushing yards with six touchdowns on the ground. Those stats put him in rarified air last season with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams and the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft CJ Stroud.

Sanders embraces pressure from family name

Sanders also recently addressed the pressure of living up to the expectations of being the son of an NFL great. When your father is a legendary football player with a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there can be some lofty expectations hurled upon you. And although he’s the son of legendary defensive back Deion Sanders, he feels no pressure because of it.

“I’m a Sanders. I don’t feel pressure. That’s a thing that’s in my blood. I don’t get nervous, I don’t get none of that. Especially when you prepare, you got the coaches and you got the staff and players around you. It’s no real pressure. You just find yourself in your own thoughts. And that’s the thing, I don’t fear no names or nothing like that,” said Sanders.

This upcoming season, Shedeur Sanders will have a ton of pressure from multiple sources as he takes over the role of starting quarterback at Colorado. He joined his father in Boulder, Colorado, making the jump from the FCS at Jackson State to the FBS with the Buffaloes.