Deion Sanders: Shedeur Changed Colorado's Recruitment, Can't Have 'Dumb' Players

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders thought the arrival of his son, Shedeur, led Colorado to adopt a specific approach to recruiting and filling out its skill positions in the offseason.

"We can't put just anybody out there with him and he fits," Sanders said at the 9:38 mark of the newest installment of the Let's Go! podcast. "... I use the Tom (Brady) analogy. You can't put a dumb receiver out there with Tom Brady. You can't do it. You can't put a dumb quarterback out there with you, [Larry Fitzgerald], because it just don't work. It don't click.

"Shedeur, we recruit differently because of where he is intelligence-wise, intellectual, understanding the game. You can't throw a freshman receiver out there with Shedeur. You can't throw a guy who's not a study guy, who don't understand coverages to know where to sit and understand defenses."

Sanders explained that's why the Buffaloes aggressively hit the transfer portal to find wide receivers. Their top three pass-catchers (Xavier Weaver, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Travis Hunter) all came through the portal, and Hunter spent the 2022 season with Shedeur at Jackson State.

Sanders displayed a similar mindset when it came to hiring Colorado's offensive coordinator. Rather than targeting a high-level assistant on the rise, he instead poached Sean Lewis from Kent State. Lewis guided the Golden Flashes to two bowl appearances in five years while leaning on a distinct offensive style.

The results are speaking for themselves.

Through three starts, Shedeur has thrown for 1,251 yards and 10 touchdowns to just one interception. The junior has quickly emerged as a Heisman Trophy candidate, and his production isn't going unnoticed by pro scouts.

Coach Prime bucked conventional wisdom when he effectively said during his introductory press conference that Shedeur would be Colorado's starting quarterback. Shedeur had yet to even enter the transfer portal to that point, let alone be a member of the Colorado roster.

But Sanders clearly had a firm vision in mind with regard to roster-building.