"He's one of the best in the country, if not the best": UCF HC Gus Malzahn hails Deion Sanders' son Shedeur
Colorado Buffaloes' Shedeur Sanders' incredible talent is certainly not going unnoticed. Ahead of the start of the 2024 college football season, the talented quarterback received immense praise from UCF Knights coach Gus Malzahn.
Malzahn, who boasts of coaching experience of over 15 years at college football's highest level, led the Auburn Tigers to a famous NCAA Tournament victory in 2010 as their offensive coordinator. When speaking about Shedeur Sanders and his father Deion Sanders' achievements, Malzahn showered them with praise, initially hailing Shedeur as one of the best quarterbacks in the country (via 247Sports.com):
"His son, the quarterback — he's one of the best in the country, if not the best," Malzahn said.
"I saw that when I was at that camp when he was going into 10th grade. That guy is really good. He just happens to be Deion Sanders' son," he added.
Malzahn also spoke highly of two-time Super Bowl winner Deion Sanders, admitting they share a mutual respect with each other amidst the Buffaloes coach's strong recruitment drive this year:
"Mutual respect. People are going to say what they want, but he's brought more attention to Colorado football in the last two years than they may have had since they won the national championship.
"Every coach has their own way of doing things, including me. …He's doing it his own way. Whether people agree or disagree, let me tell you — they're talking about it. The national media's talking about it. Recruits like it," Malzahn said.
Shedeur Sanders was the rare highlight in Colorado Buffaloes' disappointing 2023 season
After Deion Sanders took up the job as the Buffaloes' coach, his son Shedeur followed him by transferring to Colorado last year following two excellent seasons at Jackson State.
The Buffaloes finished last in the Pac-12 conference last year, rounding up a disappointing first season for the Sanders duo in their respective roles. However, Shedeur Sanders was one of the standouts for the program that year.
The quarterback took part in 11 games, finishing the season 298-of-430 (.693) for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He also led the country in second-half passing yards per game when he was 150-of-209 (.718) passing for 1,954 yards, 18 touchdowns and one interception. His exploits on the field saw the Associated Press award him the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year Award.
With the 2025 NFL draft on the horizon, Shedeur Sanders will be keen on producing an incredible 2024 season not only to increase his stock, but to hopefully taste college football glory with his father.