College Football

Deion Sanders' two sons wear same Nike cleats he once did

Updated Sep. 25, 2023 8:58 p.m. ET

Fans who watched Deion Sanders during his Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career probably got a sense of déjà vu during Colorado's dramatic upset win over TCU on Saturday, and not just because the man himself was on the sidelines making his Power 5 coaching debut.

Sanders' sons Shedeur and Shilo were major contributors to the win in their own first games as Buffaloes. Quarterback Shedeur threw for a school-record 510 yards and four touchdowns while safety Shilo had a team-high 10 total tackles. The two wore some familiar footwear while doing so — the same Nike DT96 cleats their father donned in his playing days:

The homages do not end there. Shedeur wears No. 2, which Deion wore during his rise to college football stardom at Florida State. Shilo wears No. 21, the number that Deion wore for most of his NFL career.

The shoes were unveiled in a video posted to social media last week by the eldest Sanders brother, Deion Jr., who creates media content for the team and his family.

It was just another way to highlight what a family experience it is for Deion Sr. as "Coach Prime" attempts to turn college football on its ear at Colorado. Although the Sanders patriarch told Skip Bayless and Michael Irvin on "Undisputed" Monday that the Buffaloes' upset of last year's national runner-up does not compare to the Super Bowls he won in his playing career, he did say that going through the experience with his family made it extra special.

"To share it with three of my sons on the same darn field [and] my sister was there as well, it was a phenomenal moment that I will never forget," Deion Sanders said.

While Shedeur garnered the most praise — and even some early Heisman trophy buzz — for his performance, Deion said he gets more affected watching Shilo play defensive back because of the different personalities between the two brothers.

"It affects me watching Shilo play defense because I'm thinking, ‘Come on man. Come on baby. Make a darn play,'" Deion Sanders said. "Shedeur's going rock steady the whole time. Shilo is emotional like Richard [Sherman] and I. He's up and down, he's ready to bang. He missed a couple of open field tackles, but he said, ‘I’m all right. I know what I did. I got it.'"

Deion Sanders on coaching his sons Shilo & Shedeur Sanders

Even though Deion, as one of the best cornerback to ever play football, has a bit more in common with Shilo than Shedeur when it comes to the positions his two sons play, he has helped line up perhaps the greatest quarterback ever to mentor the Colorado signal-caller.

And Sheduer's mentor Tom Brady texted him a three-word message after Saturday's win, per DNVR sports:

"Don't be satisfied."

The Sanders family gets its next chance to continue winning when they make their Colorado home debut this weekend on FOX's Big Noon Saturday. Coverage begins with Big Noon Kickoff at 10 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App.

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