Deion Sanders’ impact on the Colorado Buffaloes’ football program is impossible to deny.
The outspoken Dallas Cowboys legend took over in Boulder in 2022 and transformed a struggling 1-11 team into a 9-4 squad in the space of two years.
Under ‘Prime Time’s’ watch, the Buffs became one of the most box office teams in college football, spearheaded by their two superstar players, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, projected to be two of the top three picks in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
The elder Sanders has long been linked with an NFL head coaching position, but the man himself says there’s only one way he would leave the college ranks for the pros — if he could coach both of his sons, Shedeur and his older brother Shilo.
“The only way I would consider [leaving for the NFL] is to coach my sons,” Sanders said on GMA3.
“Not son. Sons.”
Sanders said he is “99 percent sure” that Colorado’s bowl game was his final opportunity to coach Shedeur and Shilo, but seemingly left the door open if the right opportunity came up.
Shedeur ended his final collegiate season with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns, potentially earning himself the top pick — currently held by the Tennessee Titans — in spring’s NFL draft.
24-year-old Shilo, a safety/cornerback, contributed 45 tackles and two passes defended this season, but is not viewed as a top pick and has a less certain NFL pathway than his younger brother.
NFL legend Shannon Sharpe, a close friend of Deion’s, weighed in on Sanders’ comments about leaving for the NFL.
Sharpe ultimately believes that Shilo’s uncertain draft future makes it extremely hard for Deion’s dream of coaching both of his sons in the NFL to become a reality.
Given Shilo’s likely low draft grade, it makes it incredibly unlikely that both Sanders brothers would land on the same NFL team, let alone a team also in need of a new head coach.
“Look, we know Shedeur’s gonna have a high grade,” Sharpe said on the latest episode of his ‘Nightcap’ podcast.
“But what type of grade is Shilo going to have?
“And look, Tennessee has a high draft pick. We know that. But what’s the grade on Shilo?
“Does he have a third round, fourth round, fifth round, sixth round, seventh round grade, free agent? That’s the question.
“So the question is, what type of grade will he have and how high is he gonna be selected?
“Prime said plural, both of his sons. Could Tennessee take Shedeur, and then there’s, say, a fifth, sixth round take Shilo? I don’t know if he’s gonna have a third or fourth round grade on him, I don’t.”
However, ‘Nightcap’ co-host Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson was a little more optimistic that the Sanders trio could all link up in the NFL.
“I like the sound of it [Sanders coaching his two sons in the NFL],” Ocho said.
“Wherever Shedeur goes, there’s an opportunity, there’s a chance at some point in the near future that Deion could be the head coach of that team if that team suffers early on.
“All he’s doing now is planting the seed. Now you’ve put it out there, the opportunity is going to present itself because you know how God works.
“Anything you say, there’s a chance it will happen.”
Shedeur and Travis Hunter leaving the Buffs undoubtedly marks the end of an incredible chapter in the program’s history.
But with a new contract in the works, ‘Prime’s’ work with the team clearly isn’t done, even if it’ll be without his own son starting under center.
Amid rumors of a return to the NFL, Sanders still emphasized that Colorado is ultimately where he wants to be.
“I love Colorado. I love everything we’re building I love what we’re doing, and I love Boulder, Colorado,” Sanders said.