What to expect of Shedeur Sanders at Colorado

When Shedeur Sanders arrived at Alabama for a recruiting camp in June 2019, it was unclear to at least some members of the Crimson Tide’s staff whether he was just Deion Sanders’ son or actually a legitimate college prospect as a quarterback.

That question was answered during the camp. 

Legitimate Power Five prospect.

“There was no question about that after the camp,” a member of that Alabama staff told On3. “We said after that camp that he was a quarterback, that it was no BS and no dog and pony show. No. He was a quarterback and a real prospect.”

Now, four years later and after two seasons as his father’s starting quarterback at Jackson State, Sanders will get his chance to show how he stacks up against Power Five competition.

Does he have the skill set to succeed at the Power Five level? What’s fair to expect of him heading into Year 1 at Colorado?

To get a better feel, On3 spoke with several college football coaches familiar with Sanders to get their perspective. While there was some skepticism about Sanders’ overall supporting cast with Colorado coming off of a 1-11 season, each of the coaches surveyed by On3 had positive overall feedback on Sanders individually.

In addition, the word coming out of Colorado is that Sanders has had a strong first spring with the Buffaloes.

“If there’s any doubt that Shedeur Sanders can play at this level, there shouldn’t be,” said a Pac-12 staffer with experience at several Power Five programs.

‘He’s a smart guy, a football junkie’

Sanders, a one-time FAU commit who ended up with double-digit Power Five offers, is coming off two seasons at Jackson State during which he racked up totals of 6,983 passing yards, 70 passing touchdowns, nine additional rushing scores and just 14 interceptions.

After posting 3,231 yards and 33 total touchdowns with eight interceptions as a freshman in 2021, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Sanders improved in each category last season. He finished 2022 with 3,752 passing yards (an average of 288.6 per game), 46 overall touchdowns and six interceptions while leading Jackson State to a 12-1 record and a second straight SWAC championship.

“He’s a smart guy, a football junkie,” Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons told On3. “He’s done all the camps, all the circuits and he’s been around Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and been able to talk ball with some of the best guys that’s ever done it. So just from a football I.Q. perspective, I think he’s on par with other Power Five quarterbacks around the country. As far as his skill set, I think he’s got a strong enough arm. I wouldn’t say that he has Pat Mahomes or Josh Allen type of arm strength, but he’s got a strong enough arm to make all the throws. He’s very accurate. When he sets his feet, he’s very accurate. … 

“So I think he’s talented enough from a physical standpoint. But I think the thing that kind of puts him over the top and gives him a chance to be a really good college quarterback is his football I.Q.”

Sanders faced Simmons and Florida A&M in his first ever college game, posting a modest stat line of 18 of 24 passing for 221 yards with one touchdown (a rushing score) in a 7-6 win in September 2021.

One year later in Jackson State’s 2022 opener against Florida A&M, Sanders’ improvement was on display as he opened the game with 17 straight completions before finishing 29 of 33 for 323 yards with five passing touchdowns and no interceptions in a 59-3 victory.

“The offense he played in the last couple of years gave him a chance to get the ball out of his hands and throw on rhythm,” said Simmons, a former Clemson quarterback and graduate assistant who was an FBS offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee. “And apparently that’s the style they want to use (at Colorado), hiring Sean Lewis as the OC, be up-tempo and throw the ball around the yard. They’ve loaded up at wide receiver, so I project that they want to spread the field out and allow him to spread the ball around.

“When he can do that and get the ball out of his hands quickly and get the pre-snap reads from the defense, I think he can compete at a high level.”

Questions about the supporting cast

Naturally, there are skeptics in the coaching world.

A Pac-12 defensive coach cautioned against having high expectations for Sanders this season, partly because of Colorado still being in the early stages of overhauling the roster inherited from the previous staff.

While people inside the Buffaloes program view their wide receiver unit as a strength with players such as former top recruit Travis Hunter and South Florida transfer Jimmy Horn, upgrading the offensive line is still a major work in the progress.

Colorado’s schedule also is far from easy. The Buffaloes open the season with games against 2022 national runner-up TCU and Nebraska. Then, following a matchup against Colorado State, they have nine straight Pac-12 conference games.

“If you want to project his contributions and what you can expect of Shedeur, there’s a lot of other hidden variables involving his supporting cast,” the Pac-12 defensive coach said. “Shedeur has some ability as a passer. He doesn’t have significant arm strength, but he can place the ball and throw the ball, but it’s all the other factors like who’s protecting Shedeur? He’s not going to get the pocket that he did at Jackson State. He’s going to be running for his life. You’re not going to have the time to just sit back and be able to throw the ball.

“If you don’t have protection and you don’t have a running game and you don’t have an o-line, you can have Peyton Manning back there and it won’t matter.”

‘Refreshing to see’

At the very least, Colorado is confident in its quarterback and has given him some weapons like Hunter, Horn and coveted Arkansas State tight end transfer Seydou Traore while still being in pursuit of some transfer pieces that could upgrade spots such as the offensive line.

“He’s really nice,” former Colorado and Pittsburgh Steelers star quarterback Kordell Stewart told reporters of Sanders Wednesday. “This was my first time having a chance to see him live today in practice. He’s really, really nice. He throws the ball on time. He puts it in areas where the guys can catch it. And when I say that, even when the (defensive back) has him covered, he finds that window, back shoulder throw, whatever, high or low or up high to put it in there. It’s refreshing to see it when not being able to see it over some time on a consistent basis in a practice.

“People would ask, ‘Do you think he can make it in the Pac-12?’ My question to those folks that ask that question, ‘Tell me about the Pac-12.’ When you talk about the top tier, we may have a Heisman Trophy winner, Doak Award winner and so on and so forth… But tell me about the bottom tier. Worst case scenario, he’s going to be better than that bottom tier.”