When Deion Sanders was hired as the Colorado Buffaloes coach before the 2023 season, he brought star two-way player Travis Hunter along with his sons Silo and Shedeur Sanders with him. Once the three players leave for the NFL, Sanders has revealed his fate with Colorado.
Sanders left Jackson State with a career 27-6 record with the program, thanks in large part to outstanding play from Hunter and Shedeur. He wasted no time bringing them with him after being officially introduced as the Buffaloes’ football coach.
- Deion Sanders coaching record: 27-14 overall, 4-8 at Colorado
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Things worked out far better than expected early on. Colorado stunner 2022 national championship runner-up TCU in a 45-42 victory to open the season, then reeled off consecutive wins over Nebraska and Colorado State for a 3-0 start. However, the team went 1-8 the rest of the way.
Projections for the Buffaloes in 2024 aren’t optimistic, with a winning record and bowl eligibility viewed as unlikely. However, Hunter and Shedeur are expected to play at a high level as they try to further strengthen their stock for the 2025 NFL Draft. Of course, their eventual departures have raised questions about how long Sanders will stick around.
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Speaking to reporters at Colorado’s spring game on Saturday, Sanders addressed his future plans with the program once both his sons and Hunter are in the NFL. When asked about what he tells players, the Buffaloes’ coach stated that he is sticking around.
“I tell them the truth. I tell them I’m a father, not a baby daddy. I don’t follow my kids. I pave roads for my kids. I build generational wealth for my kids. I lead my kids. I don’t follow my kids. So I do not plan on following my kids to the NFL. I have work to do here.”
Colorado Buffaloes HC Deion Sanders on if he’ll stay with team once sons are in the NFL (H/T ESPN)
While it’s been theorized that he could follow his sons to the next level, potentially as an NFL head coaching candidate, there’s currently no reason to believe a team would hire him as a head coach. The element he brings as a recruiter serves no purpose at the professional level and the Buffaloes’ issues last season don’t warrant hiring him for an NFL job.
- Shedeur Sanders stats: 63.1 ESPN QBR (56th), 3,230 passing yards, 69.3% completion rate, 27-3 TD-INT, 7.5 yards per attempt, 151.7 QB rating, 52 sacks taken
Teams are also aware of Deion’s plans to dictate what club drafts Shedeur, which could prove especially difficult with the Buffaloes’ quarterback not viewed as a consensus first-round pick. If his sons and Hunter leave for the NFL, many will be curious to see how Colorado performs without two outstanding talents.
Related: Deion Sanders blasts Colorado Buffaloes players for poor academics, behavior