Shedeur Sanders achieves ‘legendary’ status as the University of Colorado prepares to retire his Buffaloes jersey number

The University of Colorado is set to give one of the highest honors in college football available. They will retire departing quarterback Shedeur Sanders‘ No. 2 jersey.

The hype surrounding Sanders has been there ever since he entered college football. He won consecutive Division II titles with Jackson State before entering the transfer portal.

Shedeur followed his father, Deion Sanders, to Colorado, where he took over as the head coach. It was a surprising move to make, as the program had been in decline for quite some time.

The Sanders pair, along with two-way star Travis Hunter, changed the atmosphere in Colorado. Coach Prime, being an NFL Hall of Famer, played a big part in the rise of the Buffs in college football.

The Buffs finished 4-8 in Sanders’ first year, but the school was back on the map. Fans and famous personalities began to take notice. Before Sanders, Colorado struggled to attract quality freshmen, but from 2023, the school has witnessed an increase in student enrollment applicants.

Sanders decided to leave the Pac-12 and return to the Big 12. In their first year back in one of the toughest divisions, the Buffaloes finished with a 9-4 record. This was only the second time since 2002 that the Buffaloes won 9 games in the college season.

Shedeur Sanders shattered all expectations. He threw 353 completions (a 74.0 completion rate was the most by a quarterback in 2024) for 4134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

The Buffaloes qualified for a bowl after an eight-year wait. They played against BYU in the Alamo Bowl, as Colorado ended the year as the 20th-best team in the country. Shedeur bagged the 2024 BIG 12 Offensive Player of the Year and the Johnny Unitas Best Arm Award.

The University of Colorado is set to honor the 23-year-old by retiring his jersey. Shedeur Sanders’ No. 2 jersey will be retired during the Spring Games on April 19 along with Travis Hunter’s No. 12.

No. 2 & No. 12 — Officially Untouchable. 🦬

Witness Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have their jersey numbers retired during the Spring Game on April 19th.

🎟️: https://t.co/H4xwlMeXQF pic.twitter.com/xRPe9kazzj

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) April 14, 2025

In their more than 100 years of existence, the Colorado Buffaloes retired three jerseys before Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Legendary players Byron “Whizzer” White, Joe Romig, and Bobby Anderson had their numbers retired before the school decided to bring them back on popular demand.

Shedeur Sanders found out which NFL team would not draft him on the same day as Colorado announced it would retire his jersey

Sanders was the betting favorite as the No. 1 pick in the draft at the start of the year. The narrative changed over time. Sanders fell from the first pick to the second (Cleveland Browns) and then the third (New York Giants).

However, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer declared that neither team is interested in drafting a quarterback with their first pick.

The Browns and the Giants look less likely to take quarterbacks in the top three. As we detailed last week, New York has Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston signed to deals heavy on incentives tied to starting. Cleveland, meanwhile, has Kenny Pickett fighting for his viability as a starter, Joe Flacco arriving with designs on winning the job, and Deshaun Watson posting on social media that he shouldn’t be doubted.

Albert Breer wrote

Potential landing spots for Shedeur Sanders

The teams after the Giants in the draft list are the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers—all three have settled quarterbacks, so they won’t take one either. The Indianapolis Colts are a good shout, but until they decide whether to keep or trade Anthony Richardson, the AFC South club is unlikely to draft a quarterback.

 New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints suddenly became one of the favorites to select Shedeur Sanders last week. The NFC South team’s starting quarterback, Derek Carr, has an issue with his shoulder and may require surgery. It will keep him out until November, leaving the Saints with just Spencer Rattler, who didn’t win any games in his rookie season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are slowly gaining attention as a viable option for Shedeur Sanders. Sanders recently completed his pre-draft visit to the Pittsburgh facility.

He met with the Steelers brass and found similarities between head coach Mike Tomlin and his dad.

I understand now. I understand why they win so much, why Coach is the way how he is. He resembles Dad a little bit. They have the same principles.

Shedeur Sanders said after the visit

The Steelers hold the 21st overall pick but can trade up with either the Panthers, Jaguars, or even the Colts to select Shedeur Sanders.

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