Shedeur Sanders has emerged as a generational player for the Buffs. It’s hardly a surprise considering his father, Deion Sanders’ legacy across the sport. However, it seems the Colorado Buffaloes QB is not as aware of his father’s iconic play back in the day as much as we’d hoped. So, no, the 22-year-old is certainly not eating dinner every night with ‘Deion Sanders Highlights’ playing on YouTube! How do we know? Well, the man of the hour has himself come out to make some revelations…

During a QnA session on his channel 2Legendary with Shedeur Sanders on October 2, the Buffs player confessed that he hasn’t closely followed his father’s football career. But before we get all judgemental, let’s see what happened…

The incident unfolded when the QB was asked to make a choice by his co-host: “Start, bench, cut: Atlanta Coach Prime, San Francisco Coach Prime, or Dallas Coach Prime.“ While die-hard ‘Prime Time’ fanatics already know their own answers, Shedeur first stated, “Definitely start Atlanta Prime Time, them the days I remember, them the days I remember. And the Cowboys, bench the Cowboys one,” before reverting back.

As it stands, Shedeur knows little about his father’s career—most importantly Prime Time’s best-ever season in 1994—and it all comes down to the fact that, “I don’t know, are they saying like how he played then? I don’t know ’cause I wasn’t alive at that time, so I can’t say which one. So, it’s kind of like rude to, you know, bench and cut those because I wasn’t alive.”

To go down memory lane, Deion’s 1994 season with the San Francisco 49ers is often considered his magnum opus. That year, he put up one of the greatest performances a cornerback has ever had in NFL history. Sanders was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and his impact on the team was undeniable. He recorded six interceptions in the regular season, returning them for an astonishing and NFL-best 303 yards and three touchdowns. But the real crown jewel? He helped the 49ers win the Super Bowl XXIX, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest two-way players the league has ever seen.

The 49ers’ 1994 season, with Deion at its heart, was nothing short of legendary. However, to give the young player some benefit of the doubt…

Shedeur Sanders’ perspective on Deion Sander’s career

In Shedeur’s defense, his experience of Deion’s career is more through video highlights and stories than personal memory. He grew up with “Coach Prime” and not the player who dominated the NFL with blistering speed and instinct. When Shedeur talks about his father, it’s from a perspective shaped by YouTube clips and highlights and hard stats and facts. “I’ll say that for sure, start the Atlanta one. That’s the one I remember, you know, just by watching videos and stuff,” Shedeur said. His memories are based on what he’s seen from his dad’s early playing days and his current stint as a coach.

Shedeur’s upbringing wasn’t filled with stories of Deion’s Super Bowl performances, but rather the day-to-day realities of life as the son of a coach who has spent years molding young football players. This disconnect is understandable. He’s focused on carving out his own legacy on the field, and his rise as one of the best quarterbacks in college football is proof of that. In the 2024 season so far, Shedeur has put up impressive numbers: 1,630 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and a Pass Completion Percentage of 70.1. He’s on track to be a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and is a contender for the Heisman Trophy, too.

But that crown of being Deion’s son can be heavy. Deion’s accomplishments are part of legends. For Shedeur, it’s not about living in the shadow of his father’s accomplishments. It’s about making his own name in the sport, and that’s exactly what he’s doing. In an interview on September 29 after the Buffs handed the UFC Knights a 21-48 loss, the QB talked about he’s trying to separate himself from his father’s shadow. “I mean, I’m just not his son. I’m growing into my own man but I appreciate that pops gave me a platform for me to display my abilities. That’s all you could ask of your dad always just to be there and just have support and everything,” he had stated.

In another interview in June, Shedeur also talked about his goals, which clearly are going to make him “his own man”. “To really be the greatest quarterback ever. And to do stuff in a different way than the traditional way….My goal is to really just be somebody that every kid can relate to — because they saw my whole journey, they’ve seen everything and I’m not going to ever lie to anybody and I’m a genuine person. So, that’s my main thing, is just being a great human being first and just being an inspiration to kids.”

In the end, whether Shedeur ranks his dad’s San Francisco days high or low doesn’t change the fact that the Sanders’ legacy is alive and well. From Deion’s Hall of Fame career to Shedeur’s rise in the college ranks, the Sanders name continues to be a force in football, bridging past greatness with future potential.