College Football

Deion Sanders not planning to follow sons to NFL, has 'work to do' at Colorado

Updated Apr. 29, 2024 10:21 a.m. ET

Colorado stars Shedeur and Shilo Sanders will likely head to the pro game following the 2024 season, but don't expect their father to follow them.

Deion Sanders told reporters that he's not planning to go to the NFL even when his sons likely enter the 2025 NFL Draft.

"I tell them the truth," Sanders said when asked what he tells recruits who might be concerned about his long-term future at Colorado. "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.

"I absolutely love it here, and I would never think a young brother from the South would really love it in this part of the country, but I really do. ... The fan base that we have here ... I just want to really bless you with a tremendously successful team. I really do. That's my heart."

Sanders is entering his second season in Boulder. His first season with the program had varying degrees of success. On the field, the Buffaloes had a losing record, going 4-8. But that was a three-win improvement from 2022, when they went 1-11.

But Sanders' first season at Colorado quickly turned into one of the biggest stories in college football. Colorado had a handful of games that were among the most-watched games of the regular season, creating buzz after its 3-0 start.

Shedeur and Shilo Sanders helped play a role in that after both of them followed their father from Jackson State to Colorado. Shedeur, Colorado's quarterback, threw for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions, adding four rushing touchdowns. He's already been tabbed as one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, holding the best betting odds to be the No. 1 overall pick. FOX Sports NFL Draft expert Rob Rang has Sanders going to the Las Vegas Raiders with the ninth overall pick in his first 2025 NFL mock draft.

Shilo Sanders hasn't been as lauded a prospect. But the sixth-year senior defensive back had 67 total tackles, four forced fumbles and an interception last season. Meanwhile, Colorado star wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is also expected to be in the mix as a top pick, going second to the New England Patriots in Rang's first mock draft. He had 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions.

Before those three head to the NFL, they still have another season to play at Colorado. The Buffaloes had their spring game on Saturday, with Coach Prime telling 99-year-old Colorado superfan Peggy Coppom that they're "going to get you to a bowl game, lady."

Do Shedeur Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes have a target on their backs?

Colorado might have an easier path to getting there in 2024, re-joining the Big 12 after spending the last 13 seasons in the Pac-12. It's landed 34 transfers this offseason, including two more over the weekend as it also landed three commitments from the Class of 2025 before and after its spring game.

Sanders believes the incoming players will have an impact on the program.

"The progress that we've made is it's another caliber player that's playing, a player that truly expects to go to the next level, meaning the NFL," Sanders said. "These young men want to practice. They want to have each other's back. They want the physicality. They want all the smoke, so to speak.

"I love what we're building in this locker room, and if you're not a part of that thought process or that desire, you don't fit. So now you see the gallop to the portal, you see that, but even with those guys, I wish them the best."

Colorado opens its season against North Dakota State at home on Aug. 29.