"Always been against the odds": $4.7M NIL-valued Shedeur Sanders opens up about dealing with negativity following first season with Colorado 

Shedeur Sanders’ first season with the Colorado Buffaloes was a pretty good one, at least on a personal level. The quarterback was able to show the landscape what he could do after spending the first two seasons of his college career in the Football Championship Subdivision at Jackson State.

For the quarterback, succeeding is something he had faced right from his days at high school. In a recent interview following a Colorado Spring Practice session, Sanders, who has an NIL value of $4.7 million (per On3), explained how he's always achieved success against the odds on the Gridiron:

“I came from a private school, so at the end of the day, I've dealt with a lot of negativity, a lot of hate, a lot of everything I’ve dealt with already, year after year.

“I came from a small private school. All the other kids were going to big Power Five schools, they went to big Texas 6A schools and stuff. I don't see those same kids around. I don't see them excelling in their programs or whatever they’re doing. So, I've always been against the odds in different ways.”

Will Shedeur Sanders lead Colorado to success in 2024?

Shedeur Sanders was one of the most important players in the Colorado team last season. He looked like he was about to lead the Buffaloes to something big early in 2023, especially in the first three games, before the team stumbled in conference games and never recovered.

Despite the Buffaloes' struggles in 2023, he threw for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns. Many believed he would have done better if Colorado had a better offensive line. The Buffaloes conceded the second-most sacks in the FBS last season, thereby impacting Sanders’ performance.

Colorado has huge potential despite the struggles of 2023. The team has done well to improve its offensive line and some other rooms where upgrades were needed. Shedeur Sanders could lead them to success in the Big 12 next season.

Is Shedeur Sanders a first-round pick in 2025?

Following the glimpse he showed in 2023, Sanders is viewed as one of the top quarterbacks for the 2025 NFL draft. At the moment, he is projected to go first, but that will have much to do with how he performs in the upcoming season.

A couple of teams are already looking to draft the quarterback next year and will likely be closely evaluating him throughout the 2024 college football season. Deion Sanders recently disclosed that the quarterback could go Eli Manning’s way in 2025 to secure a good landing spot.