In an interview with Nike Football, Shedeur Sanders opened up about what it’s like to follow in the footsteps of a famous parent. “A lot of people get in a position when their parents are successful, they shy from those things because of what the outside voice is telling them.” But that’s not him. No, it’s not. Instead, the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback is making the most of the exposure he’s gotten just by being related to Deion Sanders. But as it so happens, that relationship isn’t always good for the 22-year-old.

The Buffaloes, holding a 7-2 record in the season and 5-1 in Big 12 play, have a solid chance to cement their spot in the playoffs. And one of the primary reasons for this turnaround from 2022’s 1-11 and 2023’s 4-8 record is Shedeur Sanders. The quarterback, along with two-way star Travis Hunter, has led Colorado to bowl eligibility for the first time since Coach Prime took over. So, it’s no question that the Heisman candidate – who’s thrown for 2,882 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions – will be a top draft pick in 2025.

In fact, he may quite possibly be the first quarterback to be drafted. As of now, the Jaguars have the No. 1 pick. However, they aren’t in dire need of a quarterback. But there are a few franchises in the top 10 that do require a signal-caller: Giants (2nd), Browns (3rd), Titans (4th), Raiders (5th), Panthers (7th), and Jets (8th). If we look at it objectively, the Giants could snap Shedeur right up, especially considering their struggles with the offense this season. But turns out, it may not be that simple.

And the reason for that is Deion Sanders.

On his 2legendary podcast, Shedeur hosted soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic, where he opened up about his future goals for joining the league next year. Now, an eye-catching moment from his interview was shared by Yahoo Sports on Instagram, and it’s raising many eyebrows in the college football world. Referring to Shedeur’s preferred landing spot, Ibrahimovic asked, “Which one is your favorite team?” and then burst out laughing, accurately guessing that it would be better if the quarterback didn’t answer the question.

Shedeur replied, “Nah, I can’t say it, but it’s a couple of teams, for sure. There’s a couple of teams I’ll fit [in with, considering] the situation and everything. You gotta understand that there’s a couple of teams that don’t like the personality, that don’t like dad, and everything like that. So, it is what it is.” For obvious reasons, the Buffs QB1 did not get into the names of the teams he was talking about. That would have created quite an uproar. But that’s the reality. Come April 2025, some NFL teams may pass up on drafting Shedeur because they don’t like Deion.

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As for Ibrahimovic, he offered the 22-year-old some sound advice. He said, “Don’t worry about that. Be confident. Because the more noise you’re making, the more they talk…” When it comes to having a father with accomplishments like Deion Sanders, Ibrahimovic couldn’t empathize, but he offered another bit of wisdom. “I didn’t have a father that was good [at soccer],” the legend said, joking, “He said he was good, but I don’t believe him.” He continued,

“If I could give you any advice, you listen to your father. But make sure you do your own thing also because you have to survive.” 

Coming back to Shedeur Sanders’ draft situation, everyone is aware of a little cold war happening between Coach Prime and CBS Sport. And they ranked the Buffaloes signal-caller as the No. 1 quarterback in their rankings a few days ago. So that’s how things work. Because Shedeur has his own identity, one that he keeps away from being the son of one of the most influential people in college football.

That said, as any father would be, Deion Sanders is also concerned about Shedeur’s future in the NFL.

Coach Prime is looking for an ideal spot for Shedeur Sanders

When Deion Sanders appeared on Tuesday’s (November 12) episode of Speak on Fox, he revealed that he had partially influenced his son’s career in the NFL. According to him, there are a few teams incapable of molding quarterbacks, and it will stunt their growth as players. After all, he wishes the best for his son. He only said that because, if the wrong team picks Shedeur, he’ll need to intervene and ‘pull an Eli Manning’ if the situation demands.

“Eli, a LaVar Ba-l, a LeBron… I’m pulling all of them. Sincerely, we’ve talked about it ostensibly. I’ve talked to multiple teams because they’re at practice every day. But I want what’s best for him, and I want him to be happy as well. You don’t really get to dictate where your son gets to go because there’s a draft process, but you know us; you know how we are. We know who ain’t trying to win in the NFL; you know who’s consistently in the basement year after year. You don’t want that situation for your kid,” Deion said.

What is this Eli Manning saga that Deion talks about? Well, the son of legendary Archie Manning was selected by the San Diego Chargers in 2004 as the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. However, before the draft, knowing the Chargers would have the first pick, Eli had made it clear that he would not play for San Diego. That resulted in a mind-blowing trade to the Giants for Philip Rivers. Similarly, LaVar Ba-l is known in the NBA world for making outrageous statements, and some of them were even related to the drafting situations of Lonzo Ba-l and LaMelo Ba-l.

Can we see Coach Prime doing something like that? Well, we’ll have our answer in about 6-7 months.