Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is used to high expectations.
That naturally comes from playing quarterback. When your father is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, there are even more expectations. And, when the Hall of Fame father is your coach, the level rises even more.
If Sanders feels pressure, however, he doesn’t show it.
“I mean, expectations (came the) first college game of my career,” Sanders said. “Like, each and every year is expectations. Every time we step on the field, because, you know, it’s my ability and who my dad is and the fact that we’re changing a Colorado program. I would say it’s just another day in the life. It’s normal. It’s another year that I’m going through.”
A transfer from Jackson State and the son of CU head coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur is the leader of an offense that is coming together as the Buffs go through spring practices.
New offensive coordinator Sean Lewis is implementing his up-tempo attack that he had success with at Kent State and in previous stops. It’s a tough offense to learn, some players have said, but the younger Sanders is taking it in stride.
“Learning the offense for me is not really hard because I have experience,” said Sanders, who threw for 6,963 yards and 70 touchdowns in two seasons as the starter at Jackson State. “So I know OK, whenever he’s teaching us this, we’re looking at this specifically. His offense is easy to learn whenever you will actually just dive in it and understand, like, this is what it’s going to take to be able to be done on the next level.”Sanders’ experience and maturity is already paying off as the Buffs learn the offense, because he doesn’t waste time on the practice field.
“You don’t try to be a leader; it’s either you or it’s not,” he said. “I’m a different type of leader. I’m not with all the rah-rah and all that type of stuff. I’m not that guy. I’m more of a laid back, chill guy. But when we’re between the lines and when it’s time to put real work in, then it’s a different mode. It’s different.
“I don’t force myself to be a leader. Leaders will just come and you’ll be able to see when the lights come on.”
Sanders has poured so much into learning Lewis’ offense that he feels comfortable after just a few practices.
“Especially with this offense early on, it’s gonna be a lot of trial and error,” he said. “First week of spring ball to now it’s a big difference. I kind of grasped a handle on what coach Lewis is talking about, how he call plays; what type of play caller is he?
“I’m in his mind now. So now I feel more comfortable when I’m out there and more elusive and being able to play fast and just know my reads on each and every play.”
Along with that, Sanders and other leaders have held each other accountable for mistakes as they learn.
On Saturday, a receiver busted a route and Sanders said, “I had to kick him off the field. He can’t come back in with my group because that’s my seriousness. We know what it takes to be able to be dominant and be able to win games this season. We don’t got time for mental errors and stuff like that.”
The Buffs are still nearly five months away from the Sept. 2 season opener against TCU, but after Tuesday, they have only six more practices this spring. The Buffs’ quarterback wants those six to be on point.
“I would say the only thing right now is just going down the homestretch at the end, staying consistent and playing each play,” he said.
Do that, and Sanders has no doubt his game can translate to the Power 5, regardless of the expectations.
“Competing is competing. It don’t matter what level you’re at,” he said. “There’s nothing I do different than I’ve done since day one of being in college to compete at this level. So it’s the same. It’s football at the end of the day. Now, there’s things you can work on, there’s things that you can improve, but compete — that’s within you. You either gonna compete or you’re not.”