All good things must come to an end, sometimes to let greater things come by. Such is the tale of Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders, and his son, Shedeur Sanders. After 2 successful seasons at the Buffs and 24 games in his junior and senior years, it’s now time for Coach Prime’s son to hit the NFL road. Bittersweet would be the perfect term to describe the atmosphere, as the Buffs HC and Shedeur’s teammates are both excited and nervous about the future of Colorado and their quarterback.

Shedeur celebrated his birthday on February 7. Wishes poured in. But his potential QB successor, Julian Lewis‘ post stood out the most. The 17-year-old athlete took to Instagram to show his heartfelt gratitude to his senior, posting a collage of two pictures on his Instagram Stories. “Happy birthday family!” Lewis captioned his post

One photo showed Lewis sitting on a golden Buffs throne, with Shedeur by his side, handing the jerseyed freshman a key. Another snap featured both in their golden-black Buffs jersey, ready to hit the field and conquer the world! It’s almost a cinematic moment of a handover of a valuable team’s valuable position to the younger generations.

On his part, Julian knows that taking over the reins from Shedeur won’t be an easy feat. The Buffs’ No. 2 for the 2024 season led the offense despite adversities. It didn’t matter that his O-line couldn’t protect him. Shedeur would take a sack, get up, and go again! That was the attitude. It also helped that he had the services of a generational talent in Travis Hunter. The two stepped onto the field every Saturday and mesmerized the audience. Of course, media glare comes when you’re playing for Coach Prime’s team. That didn’t faze Shedeur even a bit.

Now, we move on to the future. It’s unclear whether JuJu will get the keys at the start of the 2025 season. No one can doubt his talent. However, fresh off high school, we also understand that he is raw. College football is a different beast altogether. So, it’s understandable if Kaidon Salter gets to be the QB1 at the start. However, knowing Coach Prime, an unprecedented decision is never far off! Starting a freshman would be unprecedented. But we may just get to see that. What about Deion Sanders, then? How is he handling saying goodbye to his sons?

Deion Sanders just can’t take it

While Shedeur Sanders’ successors have something to look forward to, it’s not the same for his dad, Deion Sanders. Shedeur’s succession into the NFL has made the world come crashing down on his father. Recently, when Coach Prime turned to fans to ask for suggestions regarding Shedeur’s birthday gift, he made a bold statement, “Matter of fact Shedeur is my favorite son, today is his birthday.” Remember he has another son, too? Shilo. Colorado Safety. Yeah, Deion Sanders is really going to miss his son.

Deion Sanders hasn’t stopped there. Shedeur recently gave away that the NFL Hall of Famer is suffering from “separation anxiety” ahead of his son’s entry into the national league. After the Shrine Bowl, the 23-year-old also recalled to NFL Network’s Jane Slater how the coach would call him between his pre-draft meetings. “My dad was calling me. That was the most funniest thing,” Shedeur said, playfully stating, “Look, Pops, it’s over with, it’s time for me to soar on my own now.” But we know Deion Sanders is not kidding about his anxiety, as the NFL legend recalled the day of training Colorado players without his sons on the roster as an “emotional day.”

Deion Sanders has been very protective about his sons’ coaching, but in the end, he must accept the aforementioned proverb – “All good things must come to an end.” Letting go is necessary. The boy developed himself under the aegis of his father, so much so that he’s among the best picks of the upcoming season. The top-tier recruit’s 2024 season in the Colorado Buffaloes was record-breaking. Apart from scoring 37 TDs while throwing for 4,134 yards, the quarterback scored a jaw-dropping 74% completion percentage. His overall completion percentage since 2023—71.8%—shows a way toward his potential.

It would be hard to fill Shedeur’s shoes for the Colorado Buffaloes, but the potential quarterbacks Julian Lewis and Kaidon Salter look promising. Now, it all depends on Coach Prime. The sooner he can move on from sobbing over his son’s promotion, the better it is for Colorado’s next season.