Shilo Sanders claims snowboarding has made him faster

While Shedeur Sanders grabbed more of the headlines this season for the Colorado Buffaloes, his brother Shilo Sanders was equally as impactful on the defensive side of the football. The lockdown safety started all 11 games for Colorado last year, only missing one due to injury. He earned second team All-Pac-12 honors after he became just the ninth defensive back in CU history to lead the team in tackles (70), while also tallying a team-leading four forced fumbles, three pass breakups, and one fumble recovery.

In the offseason, Sanders has been busy prepping and getting stronger for this fall. Since they’ve moved to Colorado, he’s taken up snowboarding. And Shilo Sanders says it’s actually made him faster.

“Believe it or not, I think snowboarding has actually made me faster. In the spring, I was doing conditioning, finishing first and stuff. But I feel like you balance out your toes and it gets those calves right,” Sanders explained.

He also said he’s improved mentally this offseason.

“Just mentally also. You know, Coach Livingston. He’s a coach that came from the Bengals. Like you want to go to the league, you want to be coached by NFL coaches. That’s what we have in-house. Just knowing, having a guy that knows what it’s gonna take. He’s been around players that make a lot of money to [help me] accomplish my dreams. And having him just guide me to that next level is great,” Sanders finished.

A game-changer when it came to forcing fumbles, Sanders’ impact was massive last season for the Buffaloes defense when he was on the field. His four forced fumbles were tied for the fifth most in Colorado football history and the second-most by a defensive back, behind only Mickey Pruitt, who had five in 1986.

In his team’s win over Colorado State, Sanders returned an interception 80-yards for a touchdown, earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. He was clocked at 21.5 miles per hour on that play, tied for the 34th fastest play in college football last year.

Colorado will need to be locked in and ready at the beginning of the 2024 campaign. They’ll have to face off against the North Dakota State Bison, one of the nation’s premiere Division I-AA powerhouses.

Kickoff for that one is set for Thursday, August 29th and it will start at 8:00 PM EST.