Shilo Sanders Refuses to Believe Father Coach Prime’s Epic NFL Feat as He Announces Pro Day Intentions

“Sanders” on the back of your jersey can weigh heavy. Shilo Sanders perhaps got the shorter end of the stick genetically when it came to the family’s athletic prowess. While his brother Shedeur Sanders has flirted with getting close to or even breaching it, the same hasn’t quite transpired with Shilo. To be fair, father Deion Sanders did set the bar high. So high that Shilo still can’t fathom its full extent. He questioned Prime on an incessant elephant in the room that has irked the wider football sphere’s curiosity. Just as much as it has Shilo’s.

A couple of overarching attribute types that make or break careers. Tangibles and intangibles. Shoehorning every intricate skill in either category is futile, but the mainframe largely holds up. Deion Sanders was the player he was because he had both on lock. His athleticism was cusping on generational, so the tangibles probably did more of the heavy lifting. Deion was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. 

You see his protégé Travis Hunter playing both sides now, but Deion took things a step further. Alongside playing on both offense (albeit sporadically) and defense, he played baseball professionally. Everyone’s privy to the famous fact of him being the only person to have played in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Yet, one achievement of Prime’s is piquing Shilo Sanders’ interest more. Perhaps because of its mythical nature. Since it’s not on tape.

Deion Sanders recorded a 4.27 in the 40-yard dash. He famously only dropped by at the 1989 Combine in a Limo to run the dash and left. But that’s a whole ‘nother wrinkle in his eccentricity. For now, a desperate Shilo Sanders probed Deion on whether the numbers were even true. If so, how can he replicate the feat at Colorado’s Pro Day? After being snubbed from being invited to Indy for the 2025 Combine, the safety is staring at a make-or-break opportunity. Shilo Sanders posted this interaction on his namesake YouTube channel.

“Can I ask you a question? You say I don’t learn from you. Now I’m trying to learn from you,” said Shilo to ease into the conversation like any son would. “There’s no video of you running it… I haven’t talked to anyone that’s ever seen it,” said Shilo. He had a couple of jokes for Deion because of this. “We’ve seen Muhammad Ali box, but not seen you run a 40. I’ve seen [people] land on the Moon, but not you…I’ve seen videos of Malcolm X, but I ain’t seen you run a 40!” he said. Making it seem like Deion’s 40-yd dash is up there in sports mythology with Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game! Alas, Deion insisted the proof was in the pudding. 

Although he did like the jokes and fist-bumped Shilo, Deion Sanders said something that summed up his side of the equation. “Did Picasso learn to paint?” he asked Shilo Sanders rhetorically. Implying he was just a natural. Deion proceeded to claim he was playing baseball and never actually trained for the combine. “I just ran,” he remarked. “I dropped the bat, put on my clothes, and went and did my thing,” Deion even explicitly said, “Mine came straight from God.” Well, Shilo will need to lean on more than just the supernatural if he wants to make inroads into front office hiveminds. He realizes that he’s not as much a natural as his father. However, Shilo is willing to put the work in. He even made a promise of his own to Deion regarding his own 40-yard dash on Pro Day.

Shilo Sanders makes a promise to Deion Sanders, who then makes one of his own

As aforementioned, Deion Sanders’ tangible traits did some heavy lifting. To help him transpire into the player he became. But you’ve still got to mesh it with a certain work ethic and drive. Gotta want it enough. You can permeate skill through coaching, but you cannot permeate drive. It would appear Shilo Sanders’ reputation on the gridiron, or lack thereof, is begrudgingly down to these intangibles not being on par with what’s required to ascend to the NFL level. At different junctures, this poor work ethic has been brought to light. It was especially prominent during the Coach Prime docuseries, where Shilo’s coaches and defensive coordinator themselves stated the only thing stopping him from being a top-end safety is effort, application, and accountability.

That said, Shilo Sanders is seeking to change the narrative. “I’m running a 4.4,” he boldly claimed to Deion Sanders. Prime liked this driven mentality on display and reciprocated it with a reward on the other side. “Let’s do it…If you run a 4.4, I’ll buy you a new car,” said Deion. Shilo’s up for it. He’s marinating things too, preparing Deion for the outlay. “When I get a good start, you’re gonna be like, ‘Damn’. Because you haven’t seen me run before,” said Shilo.

There is a prevalent belief that Shilo Sanders will indeed be in the NFL. Whether he’s drafted or signs on as a free agent. This has facilitated speculation around nepotism. The sensitive topic of nepotism has been widely discussed in the wake of Bronny James’ inclusion at the Lakers. Which came to the limelight this week after LeBron James’ confrontation with Stephen A. Smith. Deion is a stand-up father who wants the best for both his sons. At the same time, he also projects as a coach who preaches a meritocracy. It’ll be interesting to see how things transpire in the next few months. But first, Shilo will have to get things done on Pro Day.