Shedeur Sanders transferred to Colorado in 2023 and helped the Buffaloes to return to national relevance. In his final season in Boulder, he threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while completing 74% of his throws. Colorado retired his No. 2 jersey alongside Travis Hunter’s No. 12, and now the quarterback has officially graduated from the university.
Shedeur Sanders Earns His Degree While Balancing NFL Career
According to Football Fever on X, Sanders graduated with a 3.9 GPA in sociology, having completed his coursework remotely during the winter of 2024. He received the degree at that time, but returned to campus on Saturday to walk in the ceremony with his fellow graduates.
Sanders’ video from the graduation ceremony was shared on social media, and the moment quickly drew attention from media figures.
“This is dope,” Emmanuel Acho wrote on X. “I love when athletes get a degree even though they may never need it. It’s an incredible sign of commitment and determination.”
congratulations are in order 🎉 https://t.co/bAkLSWbPOT
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) May 2, 2026
“Let’s go, young man! Congratulations!” posted Eli Ricks on X.
“Love to see it!!!” wrote former Indianapolis Colts DB Darius Butler.
Did Shedeur join the Interdisciplinary Studies crew 😅
Congratulations 👏 https://t.co/MXLNUyHaTp
— Asante Samuel (@pick_six22) May 2, 2026
Sanders also posted a message on his X account today: “Let’s focus on what truly matters in life, and bring others along so we can elevate each other mentally, physically, and spiritually.”
The Herd finished the race. 🏁 pic.twitter.com/ED668Qp3HT
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) May 2, 2026
With the graduation ceremony over, Sanders’ attention shifts back to football and one of the more compelling quarterback competitions in the league. The 24-year-old quarterback enters his second season in Cleveland behind Deshaun Watson, who reportedly looked sharp during voluntary minicamp and has taken a majority of first-team reps.
Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot reported that Watson has the “inside track” to be named QB1, to which Sanders’ brother, Shilo, took offense and made controversial comments.
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Sanders went 3-4 as a starter in 2025, completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards with 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He didn’t have a great rookie season, and according to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 56.9, which ranked as fourth-worst in the league.
The path to starting isn’t easy, but Watson hasn’t played a regular-season game since 2023 and missed all of 2025 with a torn Achilles. Even if the veteran wins the job in June, his durability remains a legitimate question mark that could give Sanders his opportunity sooner than the depth chart suggests.
