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Gatorade releases tribute to Shedeur Sanders ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•04/23/25•

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Shedeur Sanders in a Gatorade commercial
Screenshot courtesy of Gatorade

In 2022, when he was the quarterback at Jackson State, Shedeur Sanders inked an NIL deal with Gatorade. That partnership continued at Colorado, and the two sides will continue working together as Sanders heads to the NFL.

Ahead of Thursday’s first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Gatorade released a tribute to Sanders. Considered one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, he’s coming off a standout senior season at Colorado as he led the nation in completion percentage.

The tribute, titled “Name on my Back“, features Sanders throwing footballs at a target as he warmed up. It shows he’s “embracing” the target on his back as part of an extension of Gatorade’s Lose More, Win More campaign.

“Gatorade has had my back since day one – through all the sweat, the ups and downs,” Sanders said. “It’s really an honor to be a part of this campaign, and continue on this journey with them as I get ready to live out my dream in the NFL.”

Sanders is one of the many notable football stars on Gatorade’s athlete roster, along with Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Justin Jefferson. They were all part of the company’s latest campaign, which launched April 18 and features the song “Peekaboo” by Kendrick Lamar, who also appears in the ad as the narrator.

Gatorade’s tribute is the latest notable venture for Sanders ahead of the NFL Draft. He also signed an exclusive autograph trading card deal with Panini America, joining former Colorado teammate Travis Hunter as former college stars to do so prior to the draft.

Sanders enters the draft as the top quarterback on ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board. ESPN’s Peter Schrager projected him to go No. 21 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers in his intel-based mock draft released Wednesday.

Sanders put together a standout senior season at Colorado in 2024, leading the nation with a 74% completion percentage. He also totaled 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns while leading the Buffaloes to a bowl game as part of an impressive turnaround under his father, Deion.

Off the field, Shedeur Sanders thrived in the NIL space. He became the first college football player to sign an NIL deal with Nike while adding notable partnerships with Beats by Dre and Google to his portfolio.