Shedeur Sanders, welcome to the 2024 NFL Draft conversation.
In his Colorado debut, Sanders — the son of Buffaloes coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders — threw for a school-record 510 yards (on 10.9 yards per completion)
and four touchdowns in a stunning 45-42 upset of No. 17 TCU, last season’s College Football Playoff runner-up. Sanders’ totals could have been even more eye-popping,
were it not for a couple of early drops by his receivers that cost him another 75-plus yards passing.
“Shedeur Sanders is one of the best quarterbacks I’ve ever seen wear that uniform,” Fox analyst and former Colorado QB Joel Klatt said as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
“Or, this certainly was one of the best games I’ve ever seen out of that uniform — and I’ve seen almost all of ’em.”
Sanders played his first two college seasons at Jackson State, where he was also coached by his famous father.
When Deion Sanders took the Colorado job this offseason in a headline-making move, the younger Sanders followed as a transfer.
Shedeur Sanders ranked as the No. 6 underclassman QB on Dane Brugler’s preseason positional rankings,
behind five other quarterbacks who were top 30 overall on Brugler’s 2024 NFL Draft Big Board last month.
Top-ranked underclassman QBs (preseason) 1. Caleb Williams USC 6-1, 215 2. Drake Maye North Carolina 6-4, 225
3. J.J. McCarthy Michigan 6-3, 209 4. Riley Leonard Duke 6-4, 211
5. Quinn Ewers Texas 6-2, 205 6. Shedeur Sanders Colorado 6-2, 215
Needless to say, Saturday’s performance will shift expectations for the remainder of this season, into the draft cycle.