There’s a reason behind the 510 yards Shedeur Sanders shredded TCU with on Saturday. The Colorado quarterback’s father, who the world knows as NFL legend and CU head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, revealed one current member of the Horned Frogs’ staff became his son’s motivation ahead of the 45-42 upset in Fort Worth.
Shedeur Sanders’ Motivation Stems From a High School Recruiting Camp
Long story short, the new Buffaloes passer remembered who “brushed him off to the side,” as Sanders recalled.
Kendal Briles, TCU’s offensive coordinator, was one of the coaches observing quarterbacks in the 2021 class. While with Florida State, Coach Prime’s alma mater, Briles overlooked the Hall of Famer’s son.
Speaking with The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, Sanders revealed Shedeur remembered the now TCU offensive coordinator vividly.
“When we went to a camp of the offensive coordinator that we just played against, he didn’t pay Shedeur any attention,” Sanders claimed to the former NFL Pro Bowl punter turned national personality. “I don’t think he even barely spoke to him. He just pushed him off to the side.”
Sanders recalled after the camp how disappointed his son was that he didn’t receive looks from Briles. Then, 20 minutes after being brushed off, Sanders told his father this:
“Dad, we’re not coming back here ever again.”
Sanders clearly wasn’t just looking at the Horned Frogs’ defensive personnel ahead of Saturday’s upset of the national title game runner-ups and the nation’s No. 17 ranked team. He also became motivated by one look at the 2023 TCU coaching staff.
“He remembered that, and he wanted to beat that guy so bad that he just went to work on Saturday,” Coach Prime said.
"When we went to a camp of the offensive coordinator that we just played against he didn't pay Shedeur any attention..
He remembered that and he wanted to beat that guy so bad that he just went to work on Saturday" ~ @DeionSanders #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Qx7MbSUX8p
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 4, 2023
Sanders Had ‘Bad Blood’ With TCU
Sanders didn’t just share that story with McAfee.
His son was originally committed to Florida Atlantic University before ultimately following his dad to Jackson State of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) realm. But he told The Colorado Coaches Football Show two days before the game that Briles gave his son “bad blood” before the Buffs’ season opener.
“So he chose FAU because he had a relationship with Willie Taggart that derived from FSU when he was gonna go there,” Sanders said on the show. “But the coordinator that we’re playing against this week was there, and he didn’t treat [Shedeur] kindly.”
The NFL Hall of Famer ended with:
“So there’s a lot of blood in that thing. There’s a lot of bad blood in that thing.”
Is Sanders Already an NFL-Ready QB?
Following his epic record-shattering 510-yard day down in Fort Worth, the buzz for Sanders began to explode across social media, including NFL analysts like ESPN’s Field Yates already anointing the JSU transfer as a top-five pick come 2025.
My 2025 NFL Mock Draft:
1. ATH Travis Hunter
2. QB Shadeur Sanders— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 2, 2023
Meanwhile, PFN’s own Ian Valentino on Monday got the chance to compartmentalize Sanders’ game against the Horned Frogs. Which includes answering if he believes Sanders is already an NFL-caliber passer.
“The Colorado quarterback was magnificent, setting school records in his debut against a defense with a handful of NFL Draft prospects that played in the national title game last year. But it’s not the raw numbers that impressed me — it’s how Sanders got there,” Valentino began.
MORE: Is Shedeur Sanders a Top 2024 NFL Draft Prospect?
PFN’s draft analyst broke down how Sanders managed to shake off some errant throws “and caught absolute fire” after the miscues. He included how Sanders has tightened up his throwing motion which led to his breakout day. But following his motivation to pull the upset against TCU, has Sanders elevated his draft stock?
“It’s not too early to raise Sanders from the mid-round grade I had on him in the preseason. The first round is only a ways off because consistency matters, but I needed to see him play well and improve his mechanics before buying in. Sanders showed his talent belongs in the discussion and has the intrinsic moxie needed to be very good,” Valentino said.