This offseason has come with its fair share of surprises: Shilo Sanders’ announcement of his commitment to Colorado is not one of them.
It was simply a matter of time before Shilo followed in the footsteps of father and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders and quarterback brother Shedeur Sanders to make the move from Jackson State to Colorado for his final year of eligibility before entering the 2024 NFL Draft.
It wasn’t a well-kept secret, as the graduate transfer has been at the Buffaloes team’s practice facilities and on videos with his father for weeks. But Saturday night was the time for the sophomore defensive back to make his choice known.
New #CUBuffs football. Shiloh Sanders makes his commitment to CU official: https://t.co/n6eE5MDPxa
— Buffzone (@buffzone) May 28, 2023
“Committed #Headachegang™️ #BIG21,” the Twitter announcement ended with the graduate student-athlete running in an empty Folsom Field as he dons a No. 21 jersey — the same number he wore at both South Carolina and Jackson State, as well as the number made famous by his father’s storied Hall of Fame NFL career.
It seems Shilo waited to make his transfer official until he graduated with his degree from Jackson State on May 1.
“I’m extremely grateful for my experience here at Jackson State! Ain’t nun like an HBCU. Thank y’all for all the love and support,” he tweeted.
#THEEILOVE I’m Extremely Grateful for my experience here at Jackson State ! Ain’t nun like a HBCU , Thank y’all for all the Love and Support #BIG21 #Headachegang™️ CEO
( 📸 @francoisvisuals_ ) pic.twitter.com/PsMeM4uOFp— Shilo Sanders (@ShiloSanders) May 2, 2023
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Former NFL star Deion chose to leave Jackson State late last year in a shocking and controversial switch, even taking his younger son, Shedeur, with him.
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Although Shilo entered the transfer portal on Dec. 17, he initially remained with the Tigers, seemingly waiting to make his transfer official until he graduated with his degree from Jackson State. Now, he is set to be part of CU’s roster overhaul himself.
Shiloh sanders committed to Colorado like we ain’t know he was going there already
— HEAT IN 7 (@SENSEI_SANTANA) May 28, 2023
The 23-year-old safety brings along with him a notable career. The elder Sanders brother kicked off in South Carolina in 2019, where the 6-foot, 195-pound player collected 32 tackles across 13 games in his two years there. At Jackson State, Shilo had 59 tackles with five interceptions and two forced fumbles across 20 games in his tenure with the Tigers.
His four interceptions, two forced fumbles, seven pass breakups and 39 tackles in 2021 earned Sanders Second-Team All-SWAC honors for Jackson State. The former three-star recruit was also integral to the SWAC’s top-rated defense, which won two championships for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Sanders is just the newest addition in one of the wildest roster flips in college football history, reuniting with his brother in Colorado’s program under their father, Deion, who has built his 2023 roster largely through the transfer portal.
Shilo becomes the 48th transfer added to the roster, the 69th new player overall with high school and JUCO players included and, as ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg noted, the eighth player to transfer from Jackson State since Deion accepted the coaching job in December. In fact, Colorado football has the No. 1 transfer class, according to 247Sports.
With this new transfer destination cemented, we can only wait to see what Shilo, among this impactful lineup of transfers brought to Colorado, brings to the Buffs’ season chances come this fall.
