Deion Sanders isn’t just an NFL Hall of Famer and one of the world’s greatest athletes, he’s also a head football coach at the collegiate level as well. However, his most proud accomplishment is surely that he’s also a proud dad of some talented football sons. Naturally, he passed on talent to his kids, and here’s who all play the game that turned Sanders into a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Deion Sanders Has Had 3 Children Play Football
All three of Sanders’ sons have laced up the football cleats at one time or another.
It began with the eldest, Deion Jr. He’s the first son belonging to Sanders’ first marriage with Carolyn Chambers — who was married to the Buffaloes head coach from 1989-1998. Sanders Jr. played his prep football in Dawsonville, Georgia, before playing for Southern Methodist at the collegiate level.
MORE: Will Deion Sanders Coach in the NFL?
Deion Jr.’s younger siblings Shedeur and Shilo Sanders are current teammates and stars at Colorado and play for their dad in Boulder.
Shilo is the older of the two boys, whose mom is Pilar Sanders. Shilo also plays defense like his renowned father wearing No. 21 in his father’s honor. The nation, however, has gotten more acquainted with Shedeur as a potential top-five NFL Draft pick down the road. Shedeur is the quarterback and ascended as the leader of the Buffaloes since joining them in the offseason.
Sanders Sons’ List of Athletic Accomplishments
Here’s a complete list of what all three Sanders kids have accomplished during their time on the football field.
Deion Sanders Jr.
Despite his size at 5’7″, Deion Jr. was the state of Georgia’s No. 5 overall prospect for the 2013 class. As a freshman in Dallas, Deion Jr. played in eight total games as a wide receiver and kickoff returner. One of his early highlights was an 87-yard return vs. Temple.
In 2014, Deion Jr. played in 10 games and ended up with 23 catches for 188 yards. He also added 759 return yards and went on to earn second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors as a return ace.
In his final college football season, he produced 372 kick return yards. Sanders did not play football beyond the collegiate level.
Shilo Sanders
Shilo Sanders was a three-star safety prospect from Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas.
Shilo was highly sought after at the prep level and was originally committed to South Carolina in the SEC and was a serious recruit in the college football world before changing course. After throwing his name into the transfer portal in December 2020, he opted to join his father at Jackson State.
Now, once again, he’s with his father as he’s helping spearhead his defense in Boulder after transferring to Colorado in May 2023.
Shedeur Sanders
The most highly recruited member of Sanders’ three boys with a reported 26 offers that came his way, the Buffaloes’ QB1 has carved out a name for himself as a legitimate threat for the Heisman Trophy this season.
Shedeur has already shattered school passing records once held by Colorado legend Kordell Stewart. One was the 510 yards he threw in the Colorado debut of “Coach Prime” to open the 2023 season against TCU. That performance began the Colorado-crazed fandom that engulfs college football today.
In PFN’s latest mock draft, Sanders is slotted in as the potential No. 11 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, which has him landing in his father’s home state with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It remains to be seen how the rest of the season will go for Shedeur, but one thing is clear: He looks like the real deal thus far.