Shedeur Sanders has thrilled the college football world in his first season with Colorado, but he was forced to miss the final game of the season with an undisclosed injury. A behind-the-scenes video showed why he missed the game against Utah.
Deion Sanders Jr., Shedeur Sanders' brother, posted a video to YouTube showing behind-the-scenes footage before the game that explained the Colorado quarterback had suffered a fracture in his back that kept him out of the game.
Shedeur Sanders had put together a standout campaign after transferring from Jackson State. He completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,230 passing yards with 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for four touchdowns.
However, Shedeur Sanders was also among the most pressured quarterbacks in college football. He led all quarterbacks in sacks with 52, ahead of Old Dominion's Grant Wilson's 51, and only Hawaii's Brayden Schager was pressured more than Shedeur Sanders' 192 pressures.
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Here's what you need to know about Sanders' season-ending injury.
Shedeur Sanders injury update
In the video from Deion Sanders Jr., it was revealed Shedeur Sanders had a fracture in his back. Though he was able to travel with the team to Utah, he did not participate in any warmups.
It wasn't clear when Shedeur Sanders suffered the injury, only that he had been "hurting for a while," per Colorado coach Deion Sanders.
"It's crazy because I feel good, bro," Shedeur Sanders said in the video. "But when I start running for real, it's like, 'Ah, I feel good.' But realistically, you can't. And I can't even throw right now."
Without Shedeur Sanders at quarterback, the Buffaloes turned to Ryan Staub, who completed 17 of 24 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Colorado lost the game 23-17.
Shedeur Sanders NFL draft
The breakout season from the junior quarterback rapidly sent his draft stock up despite Colorado finishing the season 4-8. In September, SN's Vinnie Iyer ranked Sanders as the second-best quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft class.
However, there has been some speculation Sanders might return for another year with the Buffaloes. On3 has tracked him as the second-highest valued collegiate athlete in name, image and likeness (NIL) valuation at $4.4 million, trailing only USC men's basketball guard Bronny James, son of NBA star LeBron James, with an NIL valuation of $5.9 million.
With that kind of earning power, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sanders stick around in Boulder for 2024.
