National Football League

Inside the Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward bond: ‘They want to be the No. 1 draft pick’

Updated Jan. 29, 2025 1:28 p.m. ET

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Ben Arthur

NFL Reporter

DENTON, Texas — The banter between Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward got going early. 

Warming up before their workout at Southern Methodist University earlier this month, they debated who had the faster 40-yard dash time. Then Sanders joked about the quality of footballs that Ward threw at Miami. 

Before long, they were discussing which was the true "generational" prospect.

"Let another word describe you, bro," Sanders said in an interaction captured by Well Off Media, which is run by Deion Sanders Jr., Shedeur's oldest brother. 

"Nah," Ward quipped back, "[That's] the word that describes me."

Sanders surrendered … sort of.

"You generational," Sanders admitted. "I’m legendary." 

But Ward wasn’t done. 

"That’s cool," he said. "You can be legendary. Legendary get they ass whooped. … Generational is once every 100 years." 

All this back and forth — and the two hadn’t even begun throwing. 

"It’s genuine," Select QB Athletics founder Darrell Colbert Jr., who trains both quarterbacks, told FOX Sports about the relationship between Sanders and Ward. "It’s not just because the cameras are out. It’s a relaxed environment, but it’s a competitive environment."

The banter offers a peek into the close relationship they share — a unique one, as they’re the consensus top two quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s possible that they’ll be the first two players selected. 

After two years at Jackson State, Sanders played his last two college seasons at Colorado, where he ranked first in the FBS in completion rate in 2024 (74.0%). He’s lauded for his pinpoint accuracy and timing. Ward, meanwhile, led the nation in touchdown passes at Miami (39), where he spent his redshirt senior season after two years apiece at Washington State and the University of the Incarnate Word. He’s known for his prowess playing off-schedule and with off-platform throws. 

Their playing styles are as different as their personalities.

"[Ward is] more of a quiet guy, but around his friends, around his family, you can see that playful side of him," Colbert explained. "I think he does that on purpose because he wants everybody to see that when he’s not around family or friends, he’s all about business. [He has] a killer mentality on the field. 

"And Shedeur is Shedeur, the prime persona of who he is and who his dad was. He is his dad’s son." 

Colbert has worked with both for nearly four years — Sanders in a formal capacity since 2019, when he was still in high school, while Ward entered the picture after his freshman season at Incarnate Word in 2021. Sanders and Ward hadn’t met until they started training together. 

"Completely different … but it jells well together because those guys want the same thing," Colbert said. "They want to be the No. 1 draft pick. They work hard. They want to get better, and they want to see each other get better as well."

Their joint work with Colbert has come at various times over the years — from spring break trips, to preparations for fall camp, summer and immediately after the season. Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones, Ward’s cousin, has often been their third training partner. 

Sanders and Ward’s attention to detail in drills, and their embrace of teaching points, is partially to make sure the other doesn’t have ammunition in their trash talk. 

It’s never quiet when they’re on the field together, according to Colbert.

"If I say [to Ward], ‘Hit [the receiver] in the chest’ and he hits the left side of his pec and Shedeur hits him in the chest, he’s going to let him hear about it," Colbert said. "Other way around — Cam is going to let [Shedeur] know about it. You’re going to hear something every single time. … It’s always the same flow every time." 

Shedeur Sanders' 2024 Colorado season highlights

Their relationship is about more than just poking fun at each other, though. 

Throughout their college careers, they’d ask each other about how their respective teams attacked man coverage. They discussed what worked best in deploying certain passing concepts. Their teams took elements from each other's playbook. They traded notes on dos and don'ts against common opponents, too.

"A lot of people in the media try to always pit us against each other," Sanders said Saturday at the East-West Shrine Bowl. "We’re family and we’re friends at the end of the day before all this stuff happened to us."  

What is Cam Ward's NFL ceiling?

Colbert sees how much the quarterback landscape has changed in recent years in the college ranks. He looks at the path Sanders and Ward have taken — reaching the highest levels of success through multiple schools — all while staying true to their authentic selves as a blueprint for those coming behind them. 

"I think that’s the best you can get out of anybody, especially when you’re asking guys to come in and be your franchise quarterback, because you do so much research to figure out who they are," Colbert said. "And that’s what made people attracted to them in the first place. So why … change who I am? … They walk their own walk."

After the workout at SMU, the banter didn’t stop between Sanders and Ward. 

"You wearing No. 2," Ward started, "that just gets in your mind that you always want to be No. 2.

"They gave me No. 1," he exclaimed of his jersey number at Miami and Washington State. "I ain’t ask for it. That’s the crazy thing."

Sanders shot back. 

"So things get handed to you?"

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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Shedeur Sanders

National Football League

Colorado Buffaloes

Cam Ward

Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Ben Arthur