“Sanders” on the back of your jersey can weigh heavy. Shilo arguably got the shorter end of the stick when it came to the family’s athletic prowess. Deion Sanders did set the bar pretty high. While Shedeur has flirted with getting close to or even breaching it. So much so that Coach Prime has already predicted that Shedeur will be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Speaking on The Pacman Jones Show last month. But the same hasn’t quite transpired with Shilo. 

Despite nepotism allegations, the point is that Deion Sanders has not stepped back from criticizing Shilo publicly in the past when he has fallen short. Remember the aftermath of Colorado’s Colorado’s 31-28 loss to Kansas State in October? Deion was furious at Shilo for his underwhelming performance.

Kansas State’s offense had its way with the Buffaloes’ defense. Kansas State running back DJ Giddens gave Shilo Sanders fits all night, shaking him in the open field multiple times. At one point in the game, Sanders attempted to meet Giddens head-on near the line of scrimmage and ended up on his knees while Giddens glided by. Worse, when Sanders was able to get ahold of a Wildcat, he struggled to take them down. On numerous occasions, Kansas State players broke Sanders’ tackle attempts for extra yards. It was far from his best self and his dad was not OK with that.

“I thought he played horrible,” Deion had said. “I thought he was rusty. I thought he didn’t have his footing. I thought he wasn’t breaking down. He was coming up trying to make the play but open field, one-on-one tackle, with that kind of back, that ain’t an easy task. But, he’s gonna do better. I know what he has in him.” So if he has the talent, then what stops him from reaching where he should have? The reason looks to have become a lot more conspicuous now. It’s etched deeper than what most people assume.

A couple of overarching attribute types that make or break careers. Tangibles and intangibles. Deion Sanders was who he was as a player and now as a coach because he had both on lock. His athleticism was cusping on generational, so the tangibles probably did more of the heavy lifting. But you’ve still got to mesh it with work ethic and mentality. It would appear Shilo’s eminence on the gridiron, or lack thereof, is actually down to his intangibles not being on the requisite level. This has come to light courtesy of the Coach Prime docuseries.

The docuseries, aptly streaming on Prime, affords a closer look into the Colorado program under Deion. S3E1 included a focus on safety Shilo Sanders during practice. Throughout the montage, it is evident defensive coordinator Robert Livingstone and Deion are unhappy with Shilo’s efforts. “Shilo, you’re killing yourself!” shouted Livingstone repeatedly, suggesting his shortcomings were his own doing. Deion Sanders wasn’t standing at the ceremony either. He made a comment that was veiled under some humor but stabbed the point across.

“Lower, Shilo. Lower, lower, lower!” shouted Deion repeatedly in his son’s direction. “You’re high as a kite. We’re gonna drug test you,” he said. Of course, this was said in jest, but the sentiment got across. Shilo was seemingly not defending low enough, which is key to remaining nifty and changing direction on a dime. Two key facets of being a player in the secondary. All that’s required is the effort of quite literally bending your knees and grafting. Notably, Coach Prime has been tough with Shilo. Look at this.

In April 2024, in the lead-up to the Spring Game, the standout safety faced challenges in his practice routine, raising concerns for his father, head coach Deion Sanders. A video by Well Off Media had captured multiple instances of Shilo struggling with gameplay, resulting in fumbles and errors.

Apparently, the Buffaloes’ defense was not meeting Coach Prime’s expectations in the practice session. As the slacking continued and Shilo’s performance faltered, Coach Prime’s dissatisfaction was obvious. He questioned aloud, “How did we get to this point of no trust, Shilo? You think I just woke up like this?” But as time went by, Shilo kept making those “stupid” mistakes.

One particular moment highlighted Shilo’s failure to attempt a “fat catch,” prompting frustration from Coach Prime. “He’s gonna do something stupid like that… if he hits you, it is a penalty! How are you gonna protect yourself? I don’t trust you!” stated Deion Sanders, visibly disappointed by Shilo’s play.

However, Shilo was not ready to surrender. “I’ve got the best hands back here, Coach. I can say that out very loud,” said the Sanders kid with pride. But his practice showed he needed to spend more time in training. Coach Prime emphasized the need for improvement and delivered a reality check to his son.“You’re off the chain. You’re off the chain, dog, can’t just start it over,” he conveyed.

Interestingly, the predicament isn’t probably just limited to an aversion to physical hard work either. Assistant linebackers coach Andre Hart has got something to add to this. He doesn’t coach Shilo directly but has been a confidante of Deion Sanders for decades. Hart stated how he’s known Shilo since he was 7. “I consider [him] like my nephew,” he said. This is somebody who knows every nuance of Shilo’s personality and cares about ironing out his deficiencies. He brought forth the biggest reason why Shilo has struggled to make the proverbial leap, and it became evident within this one practice itself.

Long-term collaborator of Deion Sanders discloses Shilo’s biggest weakness

“I think [Shilo] is one of the most talented guys I know,” remarked Andre Hart. “The biggest challenge for Shilo is to get him to understand a dream is only a dream unless you work for it…and to get him to be accountable.” Lacking accountability for your shortcomings is very high on the list of don’ts for an athlete. This detrimental trait showed its ugly head during the aforementioned practice.

As DC Livingstone continued relaying instructions over to Shilo, he put the onus of his poor play during a sequence on a teammate. “Can’t practice with that quarterbacking,” said Shilo. Livingstone was naturally frustrated with this, and it showed in his demeanor. Don’t think this would’ve slid with Deion Sanders, had he heard about his son’s assessment.

Despite all of this, there is a prevalent school of thought that Shilo will be in the NFL. Whether he’s drafted or signs on as a free agent. This has obviously facilitated speculation around nepotism. The sensitive topic of nepotism has been widely discussed in the wake of Bronny James’ inclusion at the Lakers. Deion Sanders is a stand-up father who’ll want the best for his son. 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. One thing is certain. These videos of practice and Shilo’s attitude towards it won’t go down well in league front offices.