After years of proven success in helping turn around collegiate programs, Shedeur Sanders said Friday he’s planning to do the same at the NFL level.
“If you’re not trying to change the franchise or the culture, don’t get me,” he said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “We went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programs back to back. So you don’t think I can come to an NFL franchise and change the program again? It’s history.”
Before Sanders and his Hall of Fame father, Deion, arrived at Colorado, the Buffalos posted a 1-11 record. They improved to four wins in Sanders’ first season in Boulder, then jumped to nine wins in 2024.
At Jackson State, the father-son duo led the Tigers to back-to-back SWAC Championships in 2021 and 2022. Before Deion’s first season in 2020, Jackson State went 4-8 in 2019.
Partly because of his lineage, Sanders has faced added scrutiny throughout his career, but he said he’s fine with the added attention.
“You think I’m worried about what critics say, what people gotta say? You know who my dad is? They hated on him, too,” he said. “We like the adversity. We like everything that comes with the name. That’s why we are who we are.”
Sanders is not working out at this week’s NFL combine and instead is focusing on interviews with teams in Indianapolis. He said he felt he’s proven he’s the top QB in this year’s class.
“When people say I’m not one of the top quarterbacks or the top quarterback, what are y’all going based off of?” Sanders asked. “I did it year after year after year. And you see the progressions.
“Obviously, it got to be some kind of external hate that you have for the family, for the last name, for anything because I know I’ve proved myself on the field.”
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(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
