Shedeur Sanders won the Jerry Rice Award this season. Jackson State University won the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2021. Shedeur, JSU, and their head coach Deion Sanders won National Signing Day on Wednesday. With the news of No. 1 recruit Travis Hunter flipping his commitment from Florida State to Jackson State, the attention now shifts to how long we will see Sanders and Hunter on the same college football field together. When is Sanders — Hunter’s new quarterback — eligible for the NFL Draft?
When is Shedeur Sanders eligible for the NFL Draft?
Sanders enrolled at Jackson State in the spring of 2021. However, he was unable to play in the FCS Spring Football season because he played high school football last fall. Sanders took the field for the first time this past fall and will be eligible to be drafted into the NFL following the 2023 college football season.
Sanders threw for 3,056 passing yards and 29 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions in his true-freshman season. He led Jackson State to the SWAC Championship, and the team’s only loss came at the hands of their lone FBS game of the season. Nonetheless, playing up in competition, Sanders completed 68.3% of his passes for 259 yards and a touchdown, dropping the game to UL-Monroe by just 5 points.
Sanders won the Jerry Rice Award in 2021
Due to his efforts as a true freshman, Sanders was awarded the Jerry Rice Award following the 2021 season. Given annually to the most outstanding freshman player at the FCS level, the award’s previous winners are a proven cast of stars.
Current NFL stars Cooper Kupp and Chase Edmonds are among the previous winners. Cameron Ward, our top transfer-portal athlete, won the award last season.
Sanders still has some things to prove, but his skill is there. He has documented arm strength and a terrific ability to buy time with an excellent pocket presence. Sanders is an outstanding athlete, but he always keeps his eyes downfield, looking for completions.
It remains to be seen where he’ll stack up in the 2024 NFL Draft — we’re two seasons away. But what has become more and more clear? We’re going to hear a lot about Shedeur Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers in the years to come.