PHOTO: Deion Sanders' eldest son predicts $4.8M NIL-valued Shedeur Sanders' blingy look in Week 1
Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is gearing up for a huge season in the Big 12 with more media attention than ever. The quarterback and his father, coach Deion Sanders, are under a lot of scrutiny due to the media hype they have generated ever since they joined the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Off the gridiron, Shedeur's elder brother — Deion Sanders Jr., aka Bucky — recently teased him for his love of jewelry. Bucky reposted an AI-generated picture on Instagram of the $4.8 million NIL-valued Shedeur (as per On3) during the team's first game, and he was all blinged up.
The picture had been posted by a fan and was captioned:
"Shedeur pregame next week."
Shedeur Sanders parlayed blingy fashion into No. 1 NIL ranking
At the start of last season, few people had seen Sanders in action, since he played in the Football Championship Subdivision with Jackson State. Many simply knew of him as coach Deion Sanders' quarterback son.
His fearless performances in the Buffaloes' opening three wins of the season made everyone sit up and take notice. He accompanied his performances with an iconic watch-tapping celebration that went viral, with OKC Thunder star Chet Holmgren doing it during an NBA game.
Ever quick to see opportunities, Coach Sanders quickly made a plea to watch companies to give Shedeur Sanders endorsement deals after the unique celebration went viral.
“We’ve just got to get him a lucrative watch deal,” Coach Prime said. “He can’t keep doing it for free. We got to capitalize. He is my son. We gotta capitalize on the moment, right?”
Shedeur Sanders continued to drop stellar performances on the gridiron even as the Buffs' form fell off a cliff. The media hype around Deion Sanders and Colorado brought a constant stream of celebrities to their games, and this only saw the quarterback's popularity rise.
The outspoken Shedeur's NIL valuation skyrocketed, and he is top of the On3 NIL 100 rankings, which gauges the valuation of student-athletes.
This surge in popularity prompted Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless to wax lyrical about Shedeur during an episode of "Undisputed," highlighting his cultural influence.
"This young man, thanks in parts to his father, is shattering all the molds, because we just don't see a college kid start something," Bayless said. "He's not just a college kid; he's that college kid.
"He's that man's son, but we don't see it where somebody on the college level inspires professional athletes to jump on the bandwagon of this new watch celebration, the watch flex. It just doesn't happen," he added.
Going into another college football season, Shedeur is no longer an unknown entity and has forced himself into conversations about the best quarterback in college football.