It wasn’t a miracle, but not many had expected Colorado to produce a 9-win season and a Heisman winner just two seasons after going 1-11. Deion Sanders did that as CU made history. He had help, too. His son, Shedeur Sanders, became one of the most prolific QBs in college football. He not only passed at an impressive 74 percent accuracy in 2024, but was also a leader in the locker room.

So, when in 2025 Deion Sanders didn’t have that luxury, CU regressed to just 3 wins. Now, as Shedeur prepares for his second NFL season, Coach Prime acknowledges that he has toned down the expectations for his QBs at the team.

“Well, I can’t expect who he was and what he did out of nobody,” Deion Sanders said on the August 1 Duke The Scoop podcast. “I’ve got to treat these young men accordingly and just allow them to be who they are and not expect them to be that [Shedeur]. We recruit accordingly. We make sure we’re recruiting what we need and not just what we think we want. Like, it’s what we need is that mentality. The whole thing, it wasn’t just about talent this year. It was about the mentality.”

After his prolific season in 2024, Shedeur Sanders won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was also the Big 12 offensive player of the year. Colorado even retired his jersey after he departed for the NFL to honor him. Because even CU might have felt that accumulating a 71%+ career completion rate wasn’t easy. Even though Shedeur made it seem like it. Beyond that arm talent, he was a standout leader in CU’s locker room.

In 2024, Shedeur successfully transitioned to a vocal ‘alpha’ player who demanded accountability. He earned the leadership patch before the season and held the receivers to extremely high standards. During practice drills, he used to vocally call out Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Wester, and Jimmy Horn Jr. for minor route mistakes and coverage drops. Most importantly, Shedeur spearheaded non-mandatory player-only film sessions. That’s not all, though.

In 2023, CU’s offensive line was one of the worst in the country as Shedeur was sacked 52 times. So, in 2024, he took it upon himself to build a deep relationship with the offensive line. He hosted weekly dinners, gifted custom gear, and gave them media exposure through his high-profile image. In all, Shedeur became a binding glue for players, and in return, the team performed exceptionally. However, not every player can be expected to function that way.

“I made a big mistake, man,” Coach Prime said at the Big 12 Media Days. “You got to understand it. I’ve coached my son my whole entire life. So everything was like, compared to that. It’s hard to get.”

Julian Lewis took Shedeur’s place in 2025 and couldn’t quite reach the same standards. For starters, CU’s QB1 position was a revolving door last year, and Lewis was a freshman. This year, though, the CU QB1 is in his second season, and with new OC Brennan Marion, he can correct those 2025 mistakes. The new OC’s schemes rely heavily on those multi-back run concepts and quick-strike play-action calls. So, Lewis won’t need to drop back and absorb many sacks as Shedeur Sanders did. Instead, the program is keeping it simple this year and expecting to come roaring back.