Joel Klatt, a former Colorado quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst, recently highlighted Shedeur Sanders’ transformative impact on the Colorado Buffaloes football program.
Prior to the Sanders family’s arrival in Boulder, the Buffaloes had only one winning season since 2006 with more than seven wins (2016), and averaged four wins per season. 2022 was particularly dismal as they went 1-11. It was a stark contrast to the glory years in the 80s and 90s when the Buffaloes were a regular contender and won a national championship in 1990.
Former Colorado QB Joel Klatt Wants Shedeur Sanders to Keep Doing What He Did at Colorado in Cleveland
In 2023, Shedeur Sanders transferred to Colorado along with Travis Hunter after Deion Sanders took over as head coach. Their arrival had an immediate impact as the program improved to 4-8 in 2023 and then jumped to a 9-4 record in 2024, tying for first place in the Big 12 Conference and earning an Alamo Bowl invitation.
This cultural shift had Klatt encouraging Shedeur to stay the course in the face of what was a challenging draft experience.
“Shedeur, you can take this, or leave it. I think you are an incredible player. I really do. I know what Colorado was before you got there, and I know what they were because of you, in particular, last year. I saw your toughness. I saw your accuracy,” Klatt said. “And I would say everything I saw on the field … I want you to bring that to the table in Cleveland.”
“Bring that toughness. Bring that focus. Bring that accuracy. Bring that drive. … Bring that football IQ acumen that I saw at Colorado,” Klatt said. “And if you leave everything else outside, guess what? That will come later. You fall in love with football, and then everything that comes with football and being great will come later. The stars with the biggest brands in our sport had to excel first. So do that, because you’ve got the ability to do that and I know you do.”
“I know what Colorado was before you got there, and I know what they were because of you.”@joelklatt shares his message to Shedeur Sanders after the NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/TcGoDrcyyQ
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow)
What the Sanders family brought to the table was significant. Along with a better record came more media coverage. The team’s games became media events and catapulted the Buffaloes back into the national consciousness.
For a lot of Colorado backers, Shedeur Sanders and his father Deion are a revelation and a sign of bigger and better things to come. Should Deion Sanders stay on as head coach, and if Shedeur Sanders overcomes the early challenges he’s facing in the NFL, the school’s profile on the college football landscape could only get better.
